A Northrop Grumman statement Tuesday says the company has gotten word from the Air Force that the service has decided “to end” the E-10A Multi-Sensor Command and Control Aircraft Weapon System Integration program. Apparently, USAF did not fund the WSI in its 2008 budget request. Last year, the service acceded to the Quadrennial Defense Review, relegating the program to demonstrator status only and predictions were that the end would come in the 2008 budget. Northrop’s VP for intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance programs, Dave Nagy, said, “Over the next 30 days, we will be exploring options for the future of the [Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program Wide Area Surveillance] sensor and [Battle Management Command and Control] system.” He added, “The taxpayers have made a significant investment in this critical technology.”
The F-47 fighter will be run differently than previous fighter programs and share the same mission systems architecture as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin told the Senate Armed Services Committee. That means advances in one will fuel advances in the other.