The Pentagon’s inspector general determined that the Air Force mismanaged several aspects of the C-5 Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program between 2010 and 2013, according to a report released last month. “The government failed to discourage repeated tender of nonconforming components, delegated inherently government functions to Lockheed Martin, accepted nonconformances that were corrected at an additional cost to the government, and failed to comply with [Defense Contract Management Agency] instruction for the corrective action process,” said Randolph Stone, deputy IG for policy and oversight, in a Nov. 18 summary. The IG investigated the Air Force’s RERP offices at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and Robins AFB, Ga., as well as Lockheed Martin’s upgrade facility in response to a May 2013 complaint that came into the IG hotline, according to the report. In response to its findings, the IG directed the C-5 program office to ensure all contracting meets government standards and establish a system to identify and fix contractual breaches and update airworthiness certificates. The IG further directed the DCMA to work with Lockheed Martin to oversee the replacement of inferior components and implement any further required fixes. (IG report; caution, large-sized file.) (See also More Super Galaxy Conversions Under Contract.)
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.