The intense wrangling going on among the Pentagon, industry, and Congress over the fate of the F136 engine is still not resolved after Wednesday’s markup of the Fiscal 2010 defense spending bill by the Senate Appropriation Committee’s defense panel. The subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), did not include funding for the F136, which GE and Rolls Royce are developing to compete against Pratt & Whitney’s F135 to power future lots of F-35s. But the House did include F136 funding in its version of the 2010 defense appropriations bill, thus setting up a showdown when the Senate and House meet in conference to hash out the final version of the bill. Similarly, on the authorization side, the House would fund the F136, while the Senate would not, leaving the issue open for the policy bill conference. So stay tuned. (Subcommittee markup summary)
Air Force Changes Rules for Pregnant Aircrew—Again
April 3, 2025
The Air Force is changing its policy for pregnant aircrew, generally reverting to rules set in 2019 that barred female aviators from flying during the first trimester—or from flying in aircraft with ejection seats at all—due to potential risks to the pilot and her unborn fetus.