The Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman $12.5 million to begin the engineering process to replace the engines on the service’s fleet of E-8 Joint STARS ground surveillance aircraft. Pratt & Whitney is supplying the JT8D-219 engines.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III rebuffed criticism that the F-35 program has proved too costly and unreliable to serve as the viable backbone of America’s and allies' future fighter fleet on April 30. “I would not categorize the F-35 as a paperweight,” Austin said in response to questioning…