House defense authorizers encourage the U.S. Air Force to use existing military engines for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
“CCA operational concepts call for extended unrefueled range greater than 3,000 nautical miles, advanced sensor and weapons packages to conduct varied missions, and the ability to take-off from runways one quarter the length of traditional runways,” the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) tactical air and land panel said on May 13 in its section of the HASC’s report on the committee’s fiscal 2025 defense authorization bill. “Identifying a propulsion system capable of meeting thrust and electrical power requirements, while aligning with strict cost and timeframe objectives, is necessary to afford the minimum 1,000 aircraft targeted by the secretary of the Air Force.”
Last month, the service chose privately-held drone makers, Anduril and General Atomics, in the first round of CCA (Defense Daily, Apr. 24). The companies beat defense industry heavyweights Boeing [BA], Lockheed Martin [LMT], and Northrop Grumman [NOC].
“In order to minimize cost and risk [for CCA], the committee encourages the Air Force to consider propulsion systems currently in military service, particularly those that are upgradeable through spiral insertion of key technologies under development through the Efficient Medium Scale Propulsion program,” HASC said on May 13. “Therefore, the committee directs the Secretary of the Air Force to provide a report to the congressional defense committees not later than February 1, 2025, on the minimum viable propulsion capability necessary to carry identified mission systems and weapons payloads, accounting for range, fuel load, and runway profile.”
HASC said that the Air Force “should identify modifiable commercial off-the-shelf propulsion systems in the Department of Defense inventory that meet power and scalability requirements and can be rapidly modified with technologies in development.”
In addition, the committee said that the Air Force’s report “should further detail plans to continue funding development of critical modifications, including distortion tolerant fans, embedded generators, and fan duct heat exchangers.”
The House defense authorizers also want insight from the Air Force on its development and fielding of “fifth generation weapons” for the F-35.
New weapons planned for the F-35 include Lockheed Martin’s AIM-260 Joint Air Tactical Missile (JATM), an effort that DoD has said is classified. JATM is to replace the RTX [RTX] AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile.
“The committee is unclear as to the Air Force’s intent to execute a service wide initiative to implement development and procurement of next-generation advanced capability weapons, over what exists in the inventory today with current weapons that could complement advanced capabilities and sensors inherent within fifth-generation aircraft,” HASC said on May 13. “The committee believes that a critical problem is that fifth-generation aircraft have not consistently been outfitted with next-generation advanced weaponry and equipment.”
HASC requests that the Air Force deliver a report on such weapons by April 1 next year.