Unnamed sources told Reuters news service that Gen. Duncan McNabb, the Air Force vice chief of staff, met with senior executives of Boeing and Northrop Grumman to urge them to curb their public statements over the KC-X tanker program award. Reuters reporter Andrea Shalal-Esa quoted one unnamed source as saying, “There is a lot of unhappiness about how vitriolic the debate has become.” As we’ve reported on numerous occasions, the Air Force awarded the contract to Northrop Grumman, and predictably losing competitor Boeing filed a protest. The award and subsequent protest has drawn intensive Congressional interest, sparking angry debate and comment on and off the floor. And, CongressDaily reports that just last week, a group of lawmakers led a rally of Boeing aerospace workers on Capitol Hill, vowing to overturn the award.
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.
