The Air Force has said the United Launch Alliance is an urgent need, Roger Krone, president of Boeing’s network and space systems, told reporters Monday at AFA’s Washington conference, but the program’s fate is still in the hands of the Federal Trade Commission. Boeing has stipulated conditions to the final agreement, which it has called a Buy III contract. Krone expects the agreement to be settled in mid-October and said doesn’t see any impediments to that time frame, although he admitted to being “firewalled” from Lockheed Martin’s requirements.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…