Defense Business Brief: F-35's future, going wobbly?; More M&A; Helo export; and more...
By Marcus Weisgerber
Global Business Editor
March 5, 2021 03:51 PM ET
Whither the F-35 in the Pentagon’s warplane plans? House Armed Services Committee Adam Smith became the latest prominent lawmaker to question the stealth fighter’s role. “What does the F-35 give us? Is there a way to cut our losses? Is there a way to not keep spending so much money for such a low capability, because the sustainment costs are brutal,†Smith said at a Brookings Institution event on Friday.
This follows a series of comments by Air Force generals suggesting they need some sort of newly designed fighter jet. Others have touted their desire to accelerate a classified effort to build a next-generation warplane. “What I don’t know...is if our nation will have the courage and the focus to field this capability before someone like the Chinese fields it and uses it against us,†Gen. Mark Kelly, the head of Air Combat Command, told reporters last week.
Even routine Air Force contracts are beginning to look forward to unnamed new aircraft. On Thursday, the service awarded an AMRAAM missile support contract that covers “necessary aircraft lab, flight test, flight clearance and simulation support during all integration requirements in AMRAAM for F-15, F-16, FA-18, F-22, F-35 and other current inventory or next generation platforms that may join the Air Force or Navy inventory before the end of fiscal 2029.†(H/T to Steve Trimble for noticing)
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2021/03/defense-business-brief-march-05-2021/172493/
