Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) is trying to land a few of the C-27 Spartans, selected as the Joint Cargo Aircraft winner, for Little Rock AFB, Ark. The Leader reports that Snyder, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, commended Little Rock as a “great place for cargo plane training,” since it already has the market on Air Force training for the C-130J tactical airlifter. The JCA is an Army-Air Force program, which just sustained a protest from the Raytheon-led Team JCA—its C-295 lost out to the L-3 Communications-led team’s C-27. Despite Snyder’s interest, however, The Leader reports that the Little Rock commander, Col. Rowayne Schatz, says the base will not see the intratheater airlifter. He apparently told the Jacksonville (Ark.) Chamber of Commerce, “That mission will not come to Little Rock.”
Congress Passes $839 Billion Budget for Defense
Feb. 3, 2026
Congress officially passed the fiscal 2026 defense spending bill Feb. 3 after a House of Representatives vote, approving $839 billion in Pentagon funding and sending the package to President Donald Trump for his signature.
