President Obama nominated Maj. Gen. Christopher Bogdan for a third star for his new assignment as director of the F-35 program office in Arlington, Va. If the Senate approves of this nomination, Bogdan would succeed Vice Adm. David Venlet, who has overseen the F-35 program since May 2010. Pentagon spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin told the Daily Report that “there is no indication at this time” when Venlet would leave the director’s job. Bogdan’s nomination reached the Senate Armed Services Committee on Aug. 2. Bogdan is currently the deputy director of the F-35 program office, having just transitioned to that role at the end of July, F-35 spokeswoman Cmdr. Kyra Hawn told the Daily Report on Aug. 7. Before that, Bogdan led the Air Force’s KC-46 program office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. In May, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz announced that Bogdan and then F-35 deputy director Maj. Gen. John Thompson would be switching positions. Thompson moved into the KC-46 leadership post last month. (Pentagon release)
RTX, parent of Raytheon, Collins and Pratt & Whitney, is getting out of the space prime business and focusing on its "strengths" as a maker of space sensors, buses, and components, company COO Chris Calio said during an earnings call.