The protest-plagued KC-135 programmed depot maintenance award to Boeing is still under scrutiny, but on May 2, the Government Accountability Office issued a decision that dismissed a portion of the latest protest by losing competitor Pemco Aeroplex (now Alabama Aircraft Industries). Earlier the GAO had ruled in favor of the original Pemco protest, which led the Air Force to re-evaluate the risk it assigned to the Boeing proposal. Not satisfied with the re-evaluation, Pemco filed a new protest March 11 and added a supplement on March 21, charging that USAF had misstated its actual requirements and should reopen the entire competition. GAO noted that “no decision has been reached” by the Air Force on the type of changes—numbers of aircraft to receive PDM and the timing of PDM cycles—upon which Pemco based its March 21 supplement. That being the case, GAO said, “Pemco’s protest is premature.” However, the Congressional watchdog agency noted that “the merits of the March 11 protest are currently being considered.”
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.