In addition to the Levin-McCain strike-the-F-22-dollars amendment that was to reemerge Monday or Tuesday for floor debate, there are some 148 other amendments that lawmakers are trying to tack on to the Senate version of the 2010 defense authorization bill. Most of them are defense related. For instance, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) wants the Air Force to report by Dec. 31 on the anticipated reduction in service life and associated costs for AC-130 gunships, considering the service plans to accelerate their deployments over the next seven to 10 years. (SA 1546) Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) wants the Pentagon to ensure any consideration of manned irregular airborne platforms includes all services and the reserve components, with particular emphasis on work already done on the Air National Guard’s AT-6B demonstration program. (SA 1490) Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) et al want to temporarily suspend A-76 public-private demonstrations or studies that allow the services to convert work from federal employees to contractors, at least for a year or until DOD certifies to Congress that the actions meet requirements under existing US statutes. (SA 1516) Casey also wants DOD to terminate any A-76 study that has gone on for more than 30 months. Fellow Idaho Republicans Sen. Jim Risch and Sen. Mike Crapo want a report within 90 days of the enactment of the defense bill that provides the status of the Air National Guard aircraft fleet and future plans to sustain the Air Guard. (SA 1544) That report is to include input from the Air Force, Air National Guard, and the National Guard Bureau.
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.