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Air Force

High Costs for Manned Fighters and Bombers Have Air Force Looking to Field Combat Drones

Frank Wolfe

Monday, February 7th, 2022

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High Costs for Manned Fighters and Bombers Have Air Force Looking to Field Combat Drones

F-35A Lightning IIs from the 388th Fighter Wing's 421st Fighter Squadron taxi down the runway at Nellis AFB, Nev. on Jan. 28 (U.S. Air Force Photo)

High costs for U.S. Air Force manned air-to-air and strike platforms, such as the future Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) sixth-generation fighter, the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35, the Northrop Grumman [NOC] B-21 Raider bomber, and the Boeing [BA] F-15EX, have the service examining a "system of systems" approach for fighters and bombers in which manned aircraft could control a small group of combat drones. "One of the problems we have in the Air Force is that the next generation of…

Congress

House Republicans’ Blueprint For Reconciliation 3.0 Includes $60 Billion For Defense

House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a blueprint for a third reconciliation bill that includes $60 billion for defense, a figure slightly below the Trump administration’s request to cover Iran war […]

Congress

Senate Dems Block Consideration Of FY ‘27 NDAA Over Iran War Concerns

Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a vote to advance consideration of the chamber’s $1.14 trillion fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization (NDAA). The procedural vote was 46-50, failing to reach […]

Congress

Concerns Raised At SASC Hearing On Unobligated Reconciliation Funds And Lack Of Updates On Iran War Cost

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Unmanned Systems

CBO Says Upfront Costs To Protect Military Installations From Drones Between $1 Million And $74 Million

The initial costs to acquire and deploy counter-small unmanned aircraft system (C-sUAS) defenses at individual Defense Department installations are estimated at between $1.2 million and $73.6 million depending on the […]