Dotting I’s and Crossing T’s

Paperwork was the culprit in delaying the senior-level Pentagon review of the Air Force’s C-130 avionics modernization program last month. “The June [defense acquisition board meeting] was based on a very aggressive schedule,” USAF spokeswoman Lt. Col. Karen Platt tells the Daily Report. “Unfortunately, a portion of the required documentation fell behind schedule and would not have been approved prior to the June DAB, hence the slip.” The review, which will determine whether the program to upgrade 222 H2, H2.5, and H3 model C-130 aircraft is ready to enter low-rate initial production, is now set for Oct. 15, Platt said. Its delay has not affected the program’s anticipated full-rate production decision in January 2012, she noted. Boeing is currently putting two upgraded C-130 test aircraft through flight trials, with a third test platform undergoing the AMP modifications at the company’s facility in San Antonio.