Gen. Michael Moseley told the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday he is concerned about the service’s plan to reduce flying hours by 10 percent in Fiscal 2008. “I’m on the verge of being not comfortable with this, and I’ve asked our folks to look at is there not some way to begin to migrate that money back,” said the Chief of Staff. He went on to say that while the simulator is “interesting,” it’s not sufficient to ensure airmen are fully prepared for battle. “Simulators are not a complete substitute for flying hours. You have to actually be able to fly the aircraft in a combat setting.”
Lockheed Martin projects more than a billion dollars of losses on a classified program, but company officials said April 23 they are confident it will turn profitable by 2028 and become a "franchise" system in the U.S. military.