The Air Force’s avionics modernization program for its C-130 Hercules fleet has faced technical difficulties and rising costs. However, according to Rebecca Christie of Dow Jones Newswires, the service blames the problems on “more ambitious requirements” and does not fault design and development contractor Boeing. The service plans to hold another competition to cover AMP installation for the majority of the C-130s to be upgraded, since the original deal with Boeing fell victim to the Darleen Druyun affair. The number to be upgraded is still in flux, since the Air Force probably will not revamp its oldest Hercules, the C-130E models.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
