The F-35 steering committee—the acquisition leaders for the 11 partner countries—will meet in Norway this week to wrestle with maintenance and sustainment issues, government and industry officials said. On the agenda in Oslo are the Autonomic Information Logistics System (ALIS), plans for standing up overseas depot maintenance capabilities, spare parts distribution, and engine service, as well as planning for delivery of foreign aircraft over the next couple of years. Air Force acquisition chief William LaPlante will represent USAF interests at the event.
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…