The Air Force is negotiating with Lockheed Martin on the cost and pace of shutting down the F-22 production line, says David Van Buren, the service’s acquisition executive. During a June 18 media roundtable, Van Buren said the Air Force is conducting a “business case analysis” of what will be needed for F-22 sustainment (e.g., the availability of replacement wings) and hopes to have it concluded in the next few months. Until then, he said it’s premature to say how much shutting down the line will cost, or just how much F-22 tooling will be retained. Back in 2008, a RAND study estimated that shuttering the line for good would cost about $85 million. Van Buren noted that the Air Force recently conducted a similar line shutdown review with Boeing on the C-17, and that one went very well. (See also Closing Thoughts and Multiyear Shutdown from the Daily Report archives.)
Pentagon Task Force, FAA to Test Counter-Drone Laser
March 7, 2026
The Pentagon’s counter-drone task force announced it would conduct a high-energy laser test with the Federal Aviation Administration less than a month after the use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border prompted the FAA to shut down the airspace over El Paso, Texas.