The program to develop the next-generation GPS ground control system, OCX, is “continuing forward right now,” but the Pentagon could still cancel it, Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, said Thursday. “There’s still a clear message that we need to see progress, we need to see forward movement on the program, we need to see that we’re executing and meeting the milestones that we’ve established, or we will have to stop the program,” Bunch said. “We don’t want to do that, it’s a critical capability, but that is still an avenue that is out there that we’ll have to go with if we don’t see progress.” Bunch said that at a recent “deep dive” into the program—which he was not able to attend because he was testifying to Congress—DOD officials went over the 24-month extension schedule that Raytheon agreed to, but said the service cost position has not been set. The Air Force recently awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin as an “insurance policy” in case Raytheon cannot deliver. Air Force Space Command boss Gen. John Hyten has called the program “a disaster.”
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.