Today’s scheduled meeting of a senior Pentagon acquisition oversight panel to decide whether the C-130 avionics modernization program may proceed into its low-rate production phase has been pushed back until next month. Air Force spokeswoman Vicki Stein told the Daily Report yesterday that the Defense Acquisition Board now plans to convene on Nov. 18 to decide on the AMP. We were unable to ascertain why the delay, which is actually the second time this year that the AMP’s milestone decision has been put off. The Air Force said its inability to complete copious paperwork on an aggressive schedule was the culprit that prevented the DAB, which is led by Pentagon acquisition executive John Young, from reviewing the program in June. Under the AMP, Boeing is supplying new communications and navigation gear as well as modern cockpit displays for 221 combat-delivery C-130H2, H2.5, and H3 transports. During the LRIP phase, the Air Force intends to procure kits to upgrade 26 of these aircraft.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.