Appropriators provided the Defense Department with nearly two dozen extra F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in the fiscal year 2020 defense spending bill than were originally requested and filled multiple key Air Force procurement and research-and-development requests.
The national security minibus includes funding for 98 F-35s – 20 more than were requested – for $9.3 billion, including 62 Air Force F-35A variants, 16 Marine Corps F-35B variants and 20 F-35C variants.
Lawmakers note in the report accompanying the bill, which was released Dec. 16, that the recently announced F-35 Lot 12-14 contract agreement between the Pentagon and prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] resulted in “substantial savings” from prior year appropriations as unit costs declined.
The bill fully funds the Air Force’s request of $1.1 billion for eight new F-15EX aircraft, to be made by Boeing [BA], to recapitalize the aging F-15C/D fleet. Lawmakers did elect to transfer about $364 million of that request from procurement to R&D funds to build two test aircraft.
They also mandated that the Air Force can spend no more than $64.8 million of the procurement funds for long-lead materials until service leadership submits a report to congressional defense committees that includes an approved program acquisition strategy; a capability production document; a life-cycle cost estimate; a life-cycle sustainment plan; a test and evaluation master plan; and a postproduction fielding strategy.
“Additionally, the Secretary of the Air Force is directed to include F-15EX program updates and progress towards critical milestones in the Section 804 triannual reports to Congress,” the report said. “Finally, the Secretary of the Air Force is directed to submit to the congressional defense committees not later than 60 days after the enactment of this Act a report with a comprehensive review of options to address the Air Force fighter capacity shortfall.”
Appropriators also gave the Air Force 12 Boeing-made KC-46A Pegasus tankers at $2.1 billion and 26 General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI)-built MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, 11 more than requested. It provides $851 million for 12 new Combat Rescue Helicopters, currently in development by Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin.
Despite the Air Force requesting no fiscal year 2020 funds for the ongoing OA-X light attack program, the minibus bill includes $210 million for the experiment to find an off-the-shelf solution for light attack and close air support missions that ensures interoperability with allies and partners. The Air Force expects to award contracts to Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC)/Embraer Defense and Security and Textron Aviation [TXT] for up to six total aircraft by the end of 2019.
In terms of aircraft research-and-development programs, the service’s B-21 Raider program to build a next-generation nuclear-capable bomber continues to enjoy robust funding. Appropriators provided $3 billion for the Raider’s continued R&D, and fully funds development of the VC-25B Presidential Aircraft Replacement program at $758 million.
For Air Force space programs, the minibus bill fully funds the $1.2 billion request for four National Security Space Launch (NSSL) services, and $432 million toward the NSSL program to develop new U.S.-fueled rockets. It funds the service’s Advanced EHF protected satellite communications program with $21.8 million in the minibus, and $57.7 million for ongoing Space Fence radar development, with both programs led by Lockheed Martin.
The GPS III and GPS III Follow-On (GPS IIIF) programs will receive full funding, with $414 million included to procure one GPS III satellite from Lockheed Martin, along with $448 million for GPS IIIF and $445 million for the GPS III Operational Control Segment (OCS) continued development.
Lawmakers provided $1.47 billion for the Air Force’s Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) early missile warning satellite program development, $205 million for future weather satellites, and $363 million for space situational awareness technologies.
The agreement provides $1.6 billion to the Air Force for ammunition and about $2.5 billion for missile procurement.
Despite providing many more platforms than the service requested, the bill dings the Air Force for diverting over $1 billion from overseas training funds over the last two fiscal years to other priorities while expressing worry over limited training capabilities.
Lawmakers said in the bill’s report that they uncovered “some disturbing data points that have called the budget formulation process for flying hours in the overseas contingency operations (OCO) request into question.” About $1.3 billion had been diverted from OCO funds to “unbudgeted expenses,” although the report does not say what those expenses represent.
The Air Force requested $6.5 billion in the FY ’20 presidential budget request for overseas flight training; appropriators took away $400 million “to more closely align with historical execution.”
“The fact that the Air Force has moved roughly 25 percent from the OCO flying hour funding request for each of the past two years indicates more of a fundamental issue with the initial request as opposed to an anomaly,” the report said.
The two minibus spending bills were passed by the House on Tuesday, and the Senate is expected to vote on the legislation this week before funding runs out Friday night, Dec. 20.