Lawmakers consider removing ATC and modernization from FAA’s list of duties; Pentagon to guard nuclear weapons dollars; and an incoming chairman vows to continue blocking Chinese space cooperation.
Rand analysis suggests joint military aircraft programs are unlikely to achieve life-cycle cost savings if they attempt to maximize airframe commonality.
The Pentagon’s $585 billion request for fiscal 2016 may far outpace spending by other countries, but if current budget caps force a reduction, lawmakers are looking for ways to help balance the books. Five high-profile defense analysts from Washington think tanks offered suggestions to the House Armed Services Committee Feb. 11. Some echoed the Pentagon’s recommendations to cut bases, personnel and compensation. But many of those ideas have been rejected by Congress year after year, and in that light, Rep.
Senators try to build support to give Ukraine “defensive lethal weapons”; Bigelow Aerospace asks for a review of property rights on the Moon; the Obama budget request omits the proposed private-jet user fee.
After years of discussion about incremental upgrades or off-the-shelf insertions into older programs, the Pentagon’s next generation of equipment is taking shape. The defense budget plan for fiscal 2016 and beyond features increased spending on new nuclear delivery vehicles and an initiative to pursue advanced fighter engines and a post-F-35 fighter (see pages 26 and 30). Along with that, the request seeks continued aid for NATO and an ongoing emphasis on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
Rep. Mac Thornberry, the new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, plans to evaluate the costs of modernizing U.S. nuclear weapons and delivery systems and take on the Pentagon’s sluggish procurement system.
An “A322” would have a minimum range of 5,000 nm, opening up many new, thin international routes to Europe from U.S. hubs currently unreachable with single-aisle aircraft.
Navy tweaks littoral combat ship, NASA environmental missions may face more scrutiny, media experiments with UAVs and Ashton Carter returns to the Pentagon.
With the cost of a fleet of new nuclear submarines threatening to crowd out other Navy shipbuilding projects, Congress has taken a “first step” toward maintaining funding for other projects, according to the Navy’s top acquisition official. Last year, lawmakers established the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund, a place outside the traditional shipbuilding accounts to set aside up to $3.5 billion for the SSBN(X) Ohio-class submarine replacement program. Unobligated balances from other programs can be transferred into the fund.
The FAA is not quite finished with its official rules for small unmanned air systems (UAS), those under 55 lb. In the meantime, the agency did produce a public service announcement aimed at people receiving UAS as holiday gifts. “Many will be excited when they unwrap the box and find an unmanned aircraft. How do you make sure you stay off the naughty list?” the video asks, proceeding to list a number of operating guidelines.
Powerful New York senator takes aim at airline ticket prices that carriers contend remain a bargain, Republican committee leadership changes and Southwest wins slots from Kansas City to Washington.
A $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill designed to keep the U.S. government open for the remainder of fiscal 2015 includes $18 billion for NASA for the year.
Although the FAA has not yet completed rules for how UAVs should be operated in U.S. airspace, it can fine commercial operators for “careless or reckless” flying of unmanned aircraft—even those that cost less than $200. That is the upshot of what being perceived as a “win” for FAA regulators: an NTSB ruling this week on Raphael Pirker’s promotional video for the University of Virginia—shot from a remote-control aircraft.
