An Army delegation led by Gen. Ann Dunwoody, head of Army Materiel Command, last week traveled to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, to discuss weapon-systems acquisition with members of Air Force Materiel Command. Dunwoody met with Gen. Donald Hoffman, AFMC boss, on July 1. The Secretary of the Army has directed an acquisition review for the land service and Dunwoody and her staff wanted to learn more about the Air Force’s acquisition improvement plan and the lessons that AFMC is learning in executing it. Dunwoody and her staff were reportedly especially interested in how AFMC handles the complexities of translating warfighter needs into acquisition requirements. Wright-Patterson officials said AFMC senior staff emphasized the importance of establishing clear lines of authority and accountability within acquisition organizations. (Along those lines, AFMC just implemented a realignment of its organizations.) (Wright-Patterson photo caption by Michelle Eviston) (See also June 30 Wright-Patterson report)
Bell Textron has won DARPA's contest for a no-runway, high-speed drone that will prove out technologies useful for special operations forces and possibly the Air Force's Agile Combat Employment concept. Bell's design converts a tiltrotor to a jet-powered aircraft able to fly at up to 450 knots.