According to Maj. Gen. Frank Faykes, USAF budget director, the Air Force plans to restructure the Transformational Satellite program into a “block approach” much like fighter aircraft. Lawmakers have cast a wary eye on TSAT, cutting some funding in 2006. Faykes said the service will scale back requirements for the first few satellites and fund to a “higher confidence level”—80 percent instead of the previous mark of 50 percent—to help mitigate any future cost increases. USAF proposes funding the program in 2007 at $867 million to cover completion of subsystems prototype development and the system design review. “It’s tough to determine costs at the leading edge of technology,” Faykes added.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.