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.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.