The Air Force awarded teams led by Boeing and Lockheed Martin contract modifications up to $75 million to conduct additional risk-reduction work on their respective transformational communications satellite concepts, the Department of Defense announced June 6. Further, the new awards task each team to perform an industrial base impact study that assumes that USAF picks one of them to finish development and build the TSAT system anytime between July 1 and “six months thereafter through a total delay of 24 months.” The contractors will also develop concepts for two alternative requirements sets called “TSAT digital core” and “TSAT lite,” DOD said.
Airmen basic rarely go on to become four-star generals, but one who did retired last week after a 42 year career that saw him rise from a lowly slick-sleeve to the head of one of the Air Force’s most important major commands.