Boeing says its subcontractor EADS has started a series of system enhancements on the first of 17 NATO AWACS aircraft. The upgrades are part of a $1.32 billion mid-term modernization program. (The US Air Force AWACS E-3 aircraft already are undergoing a similar upgrade. DR 9/14/05). EADS is working on the NATO birds in Manching, Germany. Boeing says the first aircraft should be done by November, with the entire fleet completed in 2008.
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.