Seldik

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Indonesian Army
  • Air Force
  • Indonesian Navy
  • Indonesian Army Funding
  • Indonesia Growth Rate

Seldik

Header Banner

Seldik

  • Home
  • Indonesian Army
  • Air Force
  • Indonesian Navy
  • Indonesian Army Funding
  • Indonesia Growth Rate
Air Force
Home›Air Force›Air Force pledges to reduce F-35 sustainment costs and support nuclear modernization

Air Force pledges to reduce F-35 sustainment costs and support nuclear modernization

By Kimberly Carbonell
October 5, 2021
0
0


[ad_1]

WASHINGTON Reducing maintenance costs for the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would be a “top priority” for the US Air Force’s procurement leader, he said Tuesday.

Andrew Hunter, former director of the Pentagon’s Joint Rapid Acquisitions Cell and President Joe Biden’s choice for Air Force deputy secretary for acquisitions, technology and logistics, told senators he would work on the issue .

“The F-35 is an absolutely vital system for the nation and the challenges we face with our competitors that we face, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region,” Hunter said during his confirmation hearing before the commission. senatorial of the armed forces. “The cost of maintaining the F-35 has been something that has put a strain on the services, especially the Air Force, which has the most aircraft.”

In an exchange with SASC ranking member Senator Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., Hunter acknowledged that buying more could be a way to lower operating costs per aircraft. But Hunter added that “there are other ways we can and should take to reduce the cost of the F-35,” although he did not elaborate.

If confirmed, Hunter would oversee an Air Force procurement budget of around $ 60 billion. Beyond the F-35, Hunter said he will work to reduce Air Force sustainment costs more broadly – which he says represents the lion’s share of the lifecycle costs of the Air Force. most weapon systems.

“The Air Force has an aging fleet, and that has increased sustainment costs,” Hunter said in an exchange with SASC President Jack Reed, DR.I. “We have to make sure that we prepare for sustainability upstream. So, for the systems we have under development, we will ensure that sustainability is taken into account early in the design to reduce these costs in the long run. “

Lawmakers have previously urged Lockheed and the Pentagon to cut sustainment costs, saying those numbers could force the Pentagon to cut back on the number of F-35s it plans to purchase. Meanwhile, the Pentagon last month granted Lockheed $ 6.6 billion to maintain the F-35 from FY2021 to FY2023, which promises to lower the cost of piloting the aircraft. ‘about 8%.

The House version of the FY22 Defense Policy Bill would require the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps to meet “cost per tail per year” targets, which measure the average cost of flight, maintenance and modernization of the jet.

With the Pentagon’s current nuclear modernization path under competing pressures both internally and politically, Hunter asserted that the Air Force’s ongoing nuclear modernization programs would be one of his top priorities.

“The delivery times for these new systems are very tight. Therefore, if I am confirmed, we will continue these programs urgently, ”said Hunter in an exchange with the top Republican of the Strategic Forces subcommittee, Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska.

In written testimony, Hunter said he supports the Air Force’s Strategic Ground Deterrence Program, which is expected to replace the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, and the Long-Range Weapons Program, which aims to deploy a new air-launched cruise missile capable of nuclear and conventional strikes.

Also at the hearing, Hunter and the candidate for the post of Under Secretary of the Army, Gabriel Camarillo, defended the military plans to base long-range missiles in the Pacific against charges that they were duplicating. Camarillo described the military’s development of hypersonic weapons and its long-range precision missile as “top priorities.”

Camarillo argued that the military’s long-range firefighting efforts meet the guidelines of the National Defense Strategy, respond to threats from the Pacific and Europe, and would be able to “degrade anti-access defense and refusal of an area that we are likely to face ”.

Tuesday’s comments came six months after the Air Force general responsible for managing the service’s bomber inventory grabbed the headlines for calling the military effort costly, redundant, and redundant. ” stupid “.

Joe Gould is the Congressional reporter for Defense News.

[ad_2]

Related posts:

  1. Eglin Air Force Base receives second F-35 squadron in Northwest Florida
  2. REMINDER TO THE UNITED STATES: Sunnova welcomes a new security, the US Air Force Base will receive a solar installation
  3. Fourteen Former Falcons Attend US Olympic Trials
  4. Air Force Materiel Command seeks innovation and modernization with new digital office

Categories

  • Air Force
  • Indonesia Growth Rate
  • Indonesian Army
  • Indonesian Army Funding
  • Indonesian Navy

Recent Posts

  • DVIDS – News – History of the Air Force: more than just a heritage
  • UPDATE – Indonesian Navy deploys 400 troops to assist earthquake victims in West Java – Admiral
  • Why the KF-21 fighter jet could be a game-changer in Asia
  • ICAPP elects Mushahid Hussain as Co-Chair
  • FY24 budget to increase spending on health and education

Archives

  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions