The Air Force is taking a hard look at how it can control costs in contractor logistics support. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, in a press conference Friday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., said many capabilities “have come into the force quickly” over the last decade of war, compelling the Air Force to skip developing formalized training programs, organic support, or even, in some cases, operational test and evaluation. But CLS costs are rising, and so the Air Force needs to give them a scrub as it looks for savings and the proper balance of work in-house and by contractors, he said.
The Pentagon awarded a contract worth over $2 billion for the next batch of F-35 engines to Pratt & Whitney on June 5. The deal for Lot 17 F135 engines, totaling $2.02 billion, is expected to be completed by December 2025.