Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) has announced that the Senate dropped funding for work on the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) project. He says the earth-penetrating focus now will shift to the Pentagon’s approach using conventional warheads. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld won’t be happy about that, having specifically asked for the funding in a recent letter to the Senate.
The Pentagon awarded a contract worth over $2 billion for the next batch of F-35 engines to Pratt & Whitney on June 5. The deal for Lot 17 F135 engines, totaling $2.02 billion, is expected to be completed by December 2025.