Lockheed Martin reports that is has delivered the flight structure for the third Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite in just 10 months since contract start. Julie Sattler, Lockheed space systems VP calls it “a significant achievement.” Technicians at the company’s space and technology facility in Mississippi now will mate the flight structure with its propulsion subsystem. Lockheed expects to begin final assembly on the first AEHF sat early next year, working toward launch in April 2008. And the second AEHF would launch a year later.
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.