Orlando, February 18, 2010—Don’t look for the Air Force to launch any new major programs for the next few years, or perhaps longer, said Air Force Secretary Michael Donley. “For the immediate future, I think our major programs are set,” Donley told reporters at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition. Asked if he’s worried the industrial base for critical technologies—like stealth, large military aircraft, fighters—will survive a decade-long new program drought, Donley said he believes work on the new Long Range Strike platform will address “industrial base engineering talent at the high end. But, he said, “We have some immediate challenges out in front of us in terms of solid rocket propulsion” and other industrial base suppliers that may have too little to do to stay in business. Continue
For an investment of less than $24 million, the Air Force was able to return a damaged B-2 bomber to flying status in November. The service offered an unusually detailed description of the methods used to fix the stealth aircraft.
