Here are the programs that made the biggest news over the past week
KC-46 flies for the first time — In what is a major relief for a program that was starting to come across some bumps in the road after a good start, Boeing and the Air Force have successfully completed the first flight of the KC-46 aerial refueling tanker test program, we reported last week. The aircraft took off at 12:29 p.m. EST last Sunday and landed after a three-hour, 32-minute flight at Boeing field in Washington state. Boeing needed the fly the aircraft soon in order to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, a key parameter for the program in order for the aircraft to be provisioned as an aerial refueling tanker. Read more KC-46 analysis >>>
Navy to stand up office for LCS replacement — The Navy plans to set up a program office to design and purchase the small surface combatants that will replace the Littoral Combat Ship program that was truncated last year, we reported. Sean Stackley, the service’s acquisition chief, told reporters after his address at the Atlantic Council that there wasn’t a timeframe to set up such an office, but he called it a “high priority.” The Navy plans to build vessels that are more lethal and survivable than the LCS. Read more LCS analysis >>>
Lockheed hits back at F-35 claims — Bad news emerged recently about the F-35: media reports indicated it wouldn’t be able to fire its gun until 2019, even though it is expected to join Marine Corps and Air Force squadrons in 2016. However, manufacturer Lockheed Martin hit back at those claims, with spokesman Mike Rein telling Roll Call that there is “no gun system software glitches or timeline delays,” and that it has “always been in the block 3F weapons to be delivered in 2017, not 2019.” Also, he said the services know that when they field the aircraft, they “aren’t going to have all their weapons on the airplane at that time.” Read more F-35 analysis >>>