Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) says that the Pentagon has ignored “warnings over the dramatic growth in the cost of military products.” To remedy this, Hunter’s House Armed Services Committee proposes that the Pentagon consider conducting a new competition for any program that significantly breaches its cost estimate. The panel’s version of the 2007 defense authorization bill would force the Pentagon to certify that it had “issued a competitive solicitation but found no promising solutions” other than to continue with the current program.
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.