Top to Bottom Scrub

Sept. 17, 2008

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Following test misfires and a Nunn-McCurdy breach, the Air Force-industry team behind the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile conducted an ambitious scrub that scrutinized everything from suppliers to testing practices, ending with one of the service’s most ambitious cruise missile test series. The Air Force awarded a contract for Lot 7 in June, working toward a total of some 1,050 missiles under current contracts. The program office plans next year to start work on an anti-surface warfare variant. (Read more in Putting JASSM Back Together)

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Related Content

USAFE, AMC, AFMC Could Lose 4-Star Commanders

Aug. 1, 2025
At least three high-profile four-star Air Force commands could be downgraded to three-star roles, as the Pentagon presses to shrink the number of generals throughout the Department of Defense, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Senate’s $852 Billion Defense Budget Saves Wedgetail, Keeps Space Force Flat

July 31, 2025
Senators this week advanced a $852 billion defense spending bill for 2026 that would block cancellation of the Air Force’s E-7 early-warning aircraft program, continue military aid to Ukraine, and replenish U.S. weapons stockpiles in a rebuke of certain Trump administration priorities in the year ahead.

No Slowdown in Demand for Air Force Bombers, 4-Star Says

July 31, 2025
Bomber taskings are at a modern high, Air Force Global Strike Command head Gen. Thomas Bussiere said in a recent interview. The level of effort is so intense that he's willing to pull more aircraft out of the boneyard to replace any bombers lost in accidents.

Lawmakers Seek Extra Scrutiny of Air Force Missile Community Cancer Concerns

July 30, 2025
The Air Force has spent more than two years studying cancer risks to Airmen who work with the service's intercontinental ballistic missiles. Now lawmakers in Congress are placing fresh scrutiny on the issue and have prepared legislation that would direct the service to clean silos and launch facilities.