The Air Force must make sure it continues to properly fund legacy aircraft programs even as it builds to the F-35’s initial operational capability, said Air Force Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. James Jackson on Monday during AFA’s 2013 Air and Space Conference. “We still have the sustainment of legacy F-16s and A-10s that are basically still in the fleet. We have to make sure we are doing everything we can to make sure we have the capacity and capability in those pipelines,” he said. He added, “We can’t accept the risk of losing airmen based on the fact that we didn’t give them the equipment that they need.”
President Donald Trump projected confidence Nov. 19 that a proposed sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia will sail through the Foreign Military Sales process, an early test of the Pentagon’s acquisition reforms. The deal is also likely to face scrutiny from ally Israel over how it could affect the balance…




