The Senate on Sept. 7 approved a $469.7 billion 2007 defense appropriations bill, including $65.5 billion in supplemental appropriations. The basic total comes to some $9 billion less than the Administration request. As with the House version, the Senate bill fully funds Air Force purchases of 20 F-22As, 12 C-17s, and nine C-130Js. The Senate undercuts the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, delaying production by one year to establish greater design maturity. It would also delay procurement on the Army-Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft to allow time for better requirements definition between the two services. And, like the House, it provides funds to purchase three replacement C-17s. Differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill are to be worked out during conference.
The Sentinel Launch Support System, the digital backbone for testing the new intercontinental ballistic missile over its expected 50-year life, has completed critical design review, Northrop Grumman said Oct. 20.
