About 25 percent of the Senate has signed up to be part of the new Senate Aerospace Caucus, which held its inaugural session Thursday on Capitol Hill. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) are the inaugural chairs of the caucus, which Bond expects will grow to “50 percent of the Senate” in short order. The caucus will work to ensure the health of the aerospace industrial base, to include adequate research and development funding, export reform, and educational programs to stimulate student interest in math and science and in aerospace careers. Murray said caucus members are working on “a plan to support a more robust industry” in aerospace. There are “very big warning signs” that aerospace is in trouble and needs the attention a caucus will bring, she said. (For more on the event, see Internal Problem above.) (Murray-Bond release) (Bond’s prepared remarks)
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.