Lockheed Martin has delivered the full-function Situational Awareness Data Link for the A-10C precision engagement upgrade program. A company release notes that USAF plans to conduct developmental flight-testing through May at Eglin AFB, Fla. The goal is to have the SADL capability ready to field by September.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
