The Pentagon’s latest Selected Acquisition Report shows a schedule slip for the Air Force’s B-2 bomber radar modernization program. This comes as no surprise since service officials reported earlier to Congress about the B-2 getting kicked out of its spectrum. USAF tried to speed up its radar modernization program because the new equipment would incorporate the frequency change, but the new antenna requires more technical maturity, as noted by the House Appropriations Committee in its markup of the 2008 defense spending bill. The slip in this program could be six months or more.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.