Thursday afternoon’s hearing of the House Armed Services airland subcommittee on the KC-X tanker program started with testimony by the Government Accountability Office and didn’t pick up with John Young, the Pentagon’s acquisition czar, until after 5:30 p.m. Air Force acquisition executive Sue Payton was pulled from the original witness list for the open session; she was still expected to appear behind closed doors with the panel upon conclusion of yesterday’s public session. We will be updating the column on Friday morning with hearing coverage.
The Air Force is asking Congress for a major infusion of cash into a little-known fund that manages spare parts In its 2027 budget request, as the service focuses on improving aircraft readiness.