Gen. Kevin Chilton, new head of Air Force Space Command, says there is only one Space Command recapitalization program that he’s dissatisfied with—the lack of a program to replace AFSPC’s old and underperforming UH-1 helicopter fleet. The command identified a need for new missile field security helicopters in the late 1990s, Chilton said Tuesday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington, but the problem still has not been fixed with any firm plan. He says another analysis of alternatives is under way.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
