There is fresh concern that the Air Force plans to abandon development of the E-10 multi-mission aircraft that would potentially have replaced three older intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance assets. Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute said this summer that even the single test aircraft would disappear from the 2008 budget, and he repeated that belief at AFA’s Air & Space Conference last week. Now, Reuters news service not only quotes Thompson but an unnamed “senior defense official” who said the E-10 falls into the category of “things that we would like” but don’t have the money for. Hmmmm.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.