Tom Burbage, Lockheed’s F-35 VP, says partner countries are assessing their future needs just as the US Defense Department is doing with its Quadrennial Defense Review. And, he notes that the partners are “anxiously awaiting” the results of the QDR to see if the JSF will be delayed, reduced, or scrapped outright. It would be a blow to the allies if JSF is eliminated, he said. “They are counting on this airplane” for their future defense needs, Burbage asserted.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.