Appropriators also cut a major chunk—$270 million—out of R&D for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. They cited “instability in the aircraft’s design” as the chief problem.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.