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Air Force

Congress Needs To Make Tough Space Launch Choices, LaPlante Says

Pat Host

Tuesday, November 24th, 2015

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Congress Needs To Make Tough Space Launch Choices, LaPlante Says

NASA engineers successfully test the Russian-built RD-180 in 1998 at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala. Photo: NASA.

Congress, in the next three to four years, can have two national security space launch vehicles, competition for launches or it can get the Air Force off the Russian RD-180 engine, but it can’t have all three, the outgoing Air Force acquisition chief said Tuesday.Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition William LaPlante, referring to lawmakers, said everyone wants off the RD-180, competition and two ways to get to space, but the ban on future purchases of the RD-180,…

Congress

Kaine On Iranian Girls School Strike: “You Can Be Sure We’re Gonna Get The Answer To That One”

Sen. Timothy Kaine (D-Va.), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) seapower panel, pledged on Tuesday that the Senate will get to the bottom of what happened […]

Congress

‘Right To Repair’ Reform In SASC’s FY ‘27 NDAA Sets “Government-Purpose Rights’ As Default

The “Right to Repair” provision secured in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s (SASC) version of the next defense policy bill would establish “government-purpose rights” as a default, requiring defense contractors […]

Advanced / Transformational Technology

Pentagon May Make ‘Tradeoffs’ For Low-Cost Autonomous Tech Without Reconciliation Funds, CTO Says

The Pentagon’s chief technology officer has said the department may need to make “tradeoffs” on certain capability priorities if Congress doesn’t pass a reconciliation with $350 billion in requested defense […]

Congress

SASC’s FY ‘27 NDAA Sticks With Army’s Plan For Legacy Aviation Procurement Cuts

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s (SASC) version of the next defense policy sticks to the Army’s proposed plan to cut procurement of its legacy aviation fleet, and does not authorize […]