According to a Washington Post report, retired Adm. Dennis Blair has decided to step down from his position on the board of EDO Corp. following Tuesdays allegations of conflict of interest because he also leads the Institute of Defense Analyses, which provided DOD a favorable assessment of the Air Force’s F-22A multiyear procurement plan. EDO is a minor subcontractor on the F-22 program. At a Senate panel hearing, lawmakers questioned the independence of IDA’s findings, although IDA researcher Richard Nelson noted the institute’s review concluded USAF had overestimated the MYP savings. The Post reports that Blair has offered conflicting accounts of the extent of his role in the F-22 review.
Boeing’s receipt of the 10th lot contract award for the KC-46 Pegasus this week leaves just three lots left to complete the Air Force’s buy of the tanker, although a further buy of 75 additional aircraft as a “bridge” to the Next-Generation Aerial-refueling System (NGAS) seems increasingly likely.