Key House defense appropriator Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) continues to back the split-buy approach as the only means to push ahead with the Air Force’s protest-plagued KC-X tanker program. His comments during a Feb. 16 visit to Boeing facilities in Washington State echoed those he made earlier this month on a visit to Alabama, site of Northrop Grumman’s proposed tanker production facility. However, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Murtha also acknowledged that not everyone on his defense appropriations committee shares his view. Pentagon officials are adamant that a split-buy, allocating a share to each competitor, is not the way to go. Murtha noted, too, that a split buy would be more expensive—a key sticking point for Pentagon chief Robert Gates as he eyes trimming major programs—however, Murtha believes it would provide the tankers more quickly. He pointed to the heightened importance of the tanker recapitalization program as the US shifts its focus and forces from Iraq to Afghanistan. In a now popular refrain, Murtha also called the program “a stimulus package in itself.”
Details Murky as ARRW Falls Short in Second Test
March 24, 2023
The second all-up flight of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon on March 13 fell short of a fully successful test, but the Air Force isn’t saying what went wrong with the Lockheed Martin-built hypersonic missile. The defense giant's Missiles and Fire Control division recently said the ARRW is "ready…