A review conducted by USAF and Defense Department general counsel found that it is possible to terminate United Launch Alliance’s $800-million-a-year launch capability contract, but it would be expensive, Secretary Deborah Lee James said. James ordered the service’s general counsel to conduct the review after ULA—a Lockheed Martin and Boeing consortium—refused to bid on the GPS III contract, which was supposed to be the first competitive national security space launch. “Breaking that contract and allocating those costs to each individual launch of the block buy would likely cost the taxpayer between $700 and $800 million more,” James told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. However, James said she planned to take “one more step” and “get an independent legal review to see if there’s some angle that we’re missing.”
Iran War Highlights the Value of Unmanned Aircraft
April 20, 2026
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgCombat video from MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) striking targets in Iran may have surprised those who thought the iconic unmanned aircraft were destined...