Defense Secretary nominee Leon Panetta assured lawmakers Thursday that he wants the United States to have “the very best” in terms of fighter aircraft. “I know the F-35 is the [air]plane that’s being developed as the next-generation fighter. But I also know that there are extensive costs associated with how that plane is being developed, and I think we have to watch it very carefully,” said Panetta, currently CIA director, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), in whose state Lockheed Martin assembles the F-22, had asked Panetta if he would be committed as Defense Secretary to preserving US air supremacy. “I want to assure you that one of my responsibilities . . . is to take a very hard look at all weapons systems and make sure that they are cost-effective and that they are, in the end, providing the very best [that] our forces need,” added Panetta.
Navy CCA Program’s Shape Coming into Focus
Oct. 17, 2025
In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.
