According to Reuters news service, the Air Force’s forecast for a new contract with Boeing for two-year’s worth of launches is only delayed, not dead. USAF had expected to close the deal in late spring, but it now looks like it will be sometime this summer. Reuters also finds that approval for the joining of Boeing and Lockheed Martin for a United Launch Alliance is still in the hands of the Federal Trade Commission.
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.