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| Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning Stealth Fighter |
By: Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has called for reviews of the F-35 and Air Force One replacement programs in the hopes of isolating new ways to drive down the price of both platforms, the Pentagon announced today.
The announcement follows weeks of criticism by President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly faulted both aircraft programs for being too expensive. A Pentagon spokesman notes that the reviews “are a prudent step to incorporate additional information into the budget preparation process,” indicating that the Trump administration may be willing to shake up the 2018 budget with alterations to each program of record.
According to Mattis’ Jan. 26 memo, the F-35 review will identify opportunities to lower the cost of the Lockheed Martin-manufactured joint strike fighter while maintaining the jet’s current requirements. It also calls for an assessment on whether an advanced Super Hornet, made by Boeing, can provide a “competitive, cost-effective fighter aircraft alternative” to the F-35C, the Navy’s carrier-launched variant.
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| Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet Fighter |
The review of the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program — the Pentagon’s formal name for the Air Force One replacement — will aim to reduce the cost of the program by potentially lowering requirements in areas such as autonomy, power generation, cooling, survivability and communications, Mattis wrote in a second memo. The Air Force selected Boeing to build two new Air Force One aircraft in 2015.
Trump and Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg have met twice since Dec. 5, when the president tweeted that the program should be cancelled. After the latest meeting at Trump Tower on Jan. 17, Muilenburg told reporters that he and Trump had made “some great progress on simplifying the requirements for Air Force One." That, and using commercial practices, would lead to "substantial cost reduction" on the program, which Trump has said will cost about $4 billion.
Read the full story at DefenseNews