The Air Force has not committed to procuring Boeing’s Family of Advanced Beyond-Line-of-Sight Terminals, or FAB-T, said Maj. Gen. John Hyten, director of space programs in the Air Force’s acquisition office. “It’s a fairly complicated story, but as we entered into the year, we were not happy with the prime contractor,” Hyten told reporters in the Pentagon. Accordingly, he said, the Air Force in early January notified Congress and Boeing of its “intent to terminate that contract.” However, Boeing responded just a few days later by offering the Air Force a firm-fixed price proposal to finish development and a commitment not to exceed FAB-T production costs, he explained. That offer was simply too good not to consider, so the service will cautiously weigh a formal proposal and therefore has not yet yielded the contract axe, said Hyten. At the same time, Congress has provided funding in Fiscal 2012 for the Air Force to pursue an alternative to FAB-T as “a hedge,” he said. The service expects to issue the request for proposals for the FAB-T alternative this spring and award the contract by the end of this fiscal year, said Hyten, during the Feb. 17 media roundtable. The terminals are meant to provide protected wideband satellite communications to the President and military leadership for command and control of US nuclear forces.
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.