Congressmen on Sunday morning passed the 2008 defense appropriations bill by a vote of 395 to 13, just squeezing it in before heading off for their August recess. The measure provides funding for 20 F-22 Raptors and 12 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (six for USAF and six for the Marine Corps) and, as we noted earlier, restores health care funding to offset the Administration’s proposed Tricare fee hike for retirees. The Senate will take up the spending measure after the break.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.