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By: Valerie Insinna LONDON — The Air Force scored a major win in the 2019 defense authorization bill: Not only will it be able to cancel the JSTARS recap program, it is getting additional funds for its alternative effort called Advanced Battle Management System. However, the service will have to make some concessions in terms of its plans to retire the existing E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System fleet, which is used for ground surveillance and command and control missions. The Air Force had planned to retire three E-8Cs in 2019 that had become “hangar queens” cannibalized for spare parts for the rest of the fleet, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said earlier this year. However, according to the new defense policy bill unveiled Monday, it will not be able to retire any of the 17 planes until “increment 2” of the ABMS system is declared operational, although Congress will allow the Air Force secretary to phase out planes on a case-by-case basis if an aircraft is no longer mission capable. While the Air Force has not spelled out to the public exactly what comprises its ABMS plan, it involves a host of different upgrades for existing platforms —for instance the MQ-9 Reaper and E-3 AWACS early warning aircraft — that will allow them to network together in new ways. A congressional aide told Defense News on July 24 that the Air Force have three ABMS increments in a series of classified briefings to members of Congress' defense committees. Phase one, which lasts from now until about 2023, involves upgrades to datalinks and some space-based technologies, as well as linking sensors from several stealth platforms and drones together, the aide said. Increments 2 and 3 quickly get into more classified territory, said the aide, who declined to provide greater specifics. The defense authorization bill would accelerate ABMS by adding $120 million for six MQ-9 Reapers, which the aide said could be used to help boost the architecture's ability to prosecute targets during a low-end conflict. It also included $30 million to continue development of the ground moving target indicator radar developed by Northrop Grumman for the JSTARS recap program. In addition, Congress levied a number of other restrictions and reporting requirements on the Air Force as part of the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act, including: The Air Force's plan for modernizing and sustaining the current JSTARS fleet, including how it will increase the availability of the E-8Cs to support demands worldwide. Quarterly reports from the Air Force secretary on the progress of ABMS. Certification by the defense secretary that the Air Force has a long term funding plan that will allow it to retain JSTARS and that the ABMS acquisition strategy is executable. A report on ABMS from the Government Accountability Office, which provides independent oversight to Congress. The report will review the maturity of the plan and any risk associated with fielding or funding it. A directive to the Pentagon's Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office to reexamine the cost and schedule for restarting a re-engine effort of the E-8C, which had begun in 2008 but was since abandoned. The Air Force “procured three ship-sets of engines, after investing $450.0 million, and the engines remain unused,” even though “the legacy E-8C engines are the number one issue driving excessive non-mission capable maintenance metrics for the E-8C fleet,” the bill stated. The end of the JSTARS recap program is bad news for Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, who were each vying for the prime contractor spot and the $6.9 billion contract for engineering, manufacturing and development. A total of 17 new planes were planned to be built throughout the program. Over the past year, Air Force leaders grew disenchanted with JSTARS recap, saying that new battle management planes would not be survivable in future, contested battlespaces. But while the Senate defense committees leaned in to support ABMS, House lawmakers sought to force the service to keep going with JSTARS recap. Will Roper, the Air Force's top acquisition official, told Defense News on July 17 that he was hopeful that Congress would move forward with ABMS. However, he still acknowledged that the Air Force had never modernized a “system of systems” like ABMS before. “It definitely needs to be a program where we embrace failure up front and prototype, because there's going to be a lot of learning to do about how do you make things work together as a team,” Roper said. “We get a sense of how commercial industry is solving it and I imagine we can use a lot of their lessons learned, but probably not all of them.” Infighting in Georgia What was once a disagreement between the House and Senate seems to have turned into a fight among the members of the Georgia delegation. In a surprising move, Republican Rep. Austin Scott pointed the finger at Sen. David Perdue, a fellow Georgia Republican, for allowing the recap program to be cancelled. Georgia's Robins Air Force Base is home to the 461st Air Control Wing, the joint Air Force-Army unit that operates JSTARS. “When Senator Perdue [...] withdrew his support of this program which the Georgia Congressional Delegation – including Senator Perdue – has overwhelmingly supported throughout the last seven years, it effectively ended the program,” said Scott. “Unfortunately [...] the replacement aircraft will not be fielded, forcing a higher risk to our men and women in uniform by continuing to fly the 48 year old legacy JSTARS aircraft which are in need of recapitalization.” Perdue hit back in his own statement, saying that ABMS is a better long term solution for Robins. “The Advanced Battlefield Management System will give us the capability to access both restricted and non-restricted airspace. This is a necessity in supporting our troops in harm's way as well as our overall intelligence gathering,” Perdue said. “With the solution I support, we save JSTARS jobs, maintain the JSTARS fleet into the next decade, accelerate the implementation of ABMS, and gain a new mission for Robins. All of this guarantees a very bright future for my hometown base.” https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/07/24/jstars-recap-is-officially-dead/

Dakota Wood SUMMARY America's military—engaged beyond capacity and in need of rebuilding—is at a crucial juncture. Its current “big-leap” approach to preparing for future conflict carries great risk in searching for revolutionary capabilities through force-wide commitments to major single-solution programs. The Heritage Foundation's Rebuilding America's Military Project (RAMP) recommends that the U.S. military instead adopt an iterative, experimentation-heavy approach that can achieve revolutionary outcomes at less risk through evolutionary improvements that build on each other until transformative tipping points are reached. Critical to this is a military culture that is immersed in the study of war and a force of sufficient capacity to prepare for the future while also handling current operational commitments. https://www.heritage.org/defense/report/rebuilding-americas-military-thinking-about-the-future

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria has sent a request for proposals (RFP) for 16 new or used fighter jets to replace its aging Soviet-designed MiG-29s to seven countries, the defense ministry told Reuters on Wednesday. The Black Sea country, which joined NATO in 2004, has called for bids to supply aircraft from the United States, Portugal, Israel, Italy, Germany, France and Sweden. Last month Bulgaria's parliament approved a plan to buy the jets. It plans to acquire them in two equal stages as part of efforts to improve its compliance with NATO standards. Some 1.8 billion levs ($1.08 billion) will cover the first eight aircraft, as well as ground handling, team training and three years of initial integrated logistics support. Potential suppliers include Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, Saab's Gripen, Dassault's Rafale and Lockheed Martin's F-16 or Eurofighter, the ministry said. Sofia is asking manufacturers to provide bids by October 1. The ministry has called for bids for new or used jets from the United States (F-16 and F/A-18 Super Hornet), France (Dassault Rafale) and Sweden (Gripen C/D) as well as new jets from Germany (Eurofighter 3 Tranche) and used planes from Portugal (F-16), Israel (F-16) and Italy (Eurofighter Tranche 1). NATO has encouraged its eastern members to develop, buy and operate new alliance equipment. Some eastern European NATO allies that were once Soviet satellites still rely on Russian-made military jets - two-thirds of Poland's military equipment dates from the pre-1991 Soviet era, for example. The question of which warplanes to buy has vexed successive governments in Bulgaria for more than a decade. Sofia aims to raise its annual defense expenditure to 2 percent of the country's gross domestic product by 2024. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bulgaria-defence-jets/bulgaria-issues-request-for-proposals-for-fighter-jets-idUSKBN1KF10W

By Stephen Carlson July 24 (UPI) -- Boeing has proposed design options to the U.S. Air Force for design of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, a possible replacement for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. "We offered the Air Force cost and performance trades for a deterrent that will address emerging and future threats," Frank McCall, vice president for Boeing Strategic Deterrence Systems, said in a press release. "By considering the various capabilities and opportunities for cost savings, the Air Force can prioritize system requirements as we progress toward the program's next phase," McCall said. Boeing received a $349 million contract from the Air Force last August for work on the GBSD, and completed a design review in November. A system functional review will be completed later this year, while Boeing is expected to present the completed design to the Air Force in 2020. Along with Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are competing for development contracts on the new missile. The Ground Based Strategic Deterrence program is the U.S. Air Force effort to replace the venerable LGM Minuteman II ICBM, which is nearing the end of its lifespan. Upgrades of the Minuteman series of ICBMs have been in service since the early 1960's. Much of its components are over 50 years old and making replacement necessary. The GDSM program is still in its early stages but is expected to start entering service in 2027 and is planned to be in service until 2075. The current Minuteman III is an underground silo-launched missile armed with nuclear warheads with up to a 350 kiloton yield. It has a range of well over 6,000 miles, though the exact maximum range classified. The Minuteman III can carry up to three multiple independent reentry vehicle warheads but is restricted to one per missile by treaty. The United States currently has 450 ICBMs in service. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2018/07/24/Boeing-proposes-designs-for-new-ICBM-deterrent/7861532445298

By Karen DeYoung and Dan Lamothe Qatar will spend $1.8 billion upgrading the major air base used by the United States for its ongoing military and counterterrorism operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf kingdom said Monday. Expansion of the base, which houses about 10,000 U.S. military personnel, will include new family housing facilities for more than 200 officers and other infrastructure enlargements, along with “operational” improvements, Defense Minister Khaled Mohammed al-Attiyah said in an interview. The improvements, to be formally announced at a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, were previewed this year in meetings between Attiyah and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. They come as Qatar and its gulf rivals, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are in the midst of a deep regional dispute and competing for closer relations with the United States. Last summer, fresh from a triumphant visit to Saudi Arabia, President Trump sided with the Saudis and Emiratis when they broke relations with Qatar and accused it of ties to terrorism.By fall, however, Trump backed off after Mattis and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that it was unwise to take sides in what was a long-standing rivalry, and reminded him of U.S. military interests in Qatar. Since then, he has repeatedly called on them to mend their differences and offered to mediate. Last April, when Trump hosted a visit by Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Qatar was described as a “valued partner and longtime friend” that provided “critical support” for operations against the Islamic State. Qatar is also viewed as a major donor to administration plans to provide development assistance to Gaza and the West Bank as part of a still-unrevealed U.S. plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Qatar is a major customer for the U.S. defense industry, including last year's purchase of $12 billion worth of F-15s. “We have bought a lot of military equipment from the U.S. so we can fly hand in hand with our partners,” Attiya said. He dismissed any notion of regional rivalry, saying that Qatar is “not very much interested in rivalry” but rather was interested in “the stability of the region.” According to a background statement from the Qatar government, the contract for 36 F-15 fighter jets “supports 50,000 total jobs and more than 550 suppliers in 42 states.” Other recent purchases include $20 million worth of Javelin guided missiles, $700 million in logistics support services and equipment, and an estimated $200 million in weapons systems “which support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States.” But the centerpiece of U.S.-Qatar ties is Al Udeid Air Base, home to scores of aircraft, including fighters, bombers, tankers and reconnaissance planes. The base is key to U.S. military efforts in the Middle East and has played a central role in the Pentagon's air campaign against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. In addition to the large U.S. troop presence, it is also the headquarters of Air Forces Central Command, headed by a three-star U.S. general, and a combined air operations center from which the Pentagon tracks the maneuvers of aircraft throughout the region. The U.S. military relationship with Qatar expanded rapidly in the 1990s and early part of the 21st century, as the Qataris built Al Udeid and encouraged the United States to use it. The Pentagon moved its air operations center there from Saudi Arabia in 2003, after Riyadh denied the United States permission to use its Prince Sultan Air Base to attack Iraq. Qatar's willingness to let the United States fly bombers from Al Udeid is seen as particularly significant. Other nations in the region do not allowed bombers, but the Pentagon has had a steady rotation of bomber squadrons through the base. A unit of B-1B bombers arrived this spring, replacing B-52s that carried out airstrikes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria over the previous two years. The U.S. military has spent about $450 million in construction at Al Udeid since 2003, expanding the facility from an expeditionary airfield in which many U.S. troops lived in tents to the more permanent structures there today. Qatar calculates it has spent $8 billion there to support U.S. operations. The U.S. presence at Tuesday's ceremony is expected to be relatively low-level, as defense officials try to distance themselves from the ongoing inter-gulf dispute. Attiya said that Qatar hoped eventually to see Al Udeid declared a permanent American facility. “Of course we would like to see our colleagues and allies permanently staying here with us,” Attiya said. But the main purpose of the expansion, he said, “is that we have men and women away from home and we are trying always to modify and expand, just to make their stay comfortable.” Over the next five years, Qatar is also building two major new “top-of-the-line” naval bases, Attiyah said, both of which would be “able to host our partner the United States if they feel that it is convenient to send their navy as well.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/qatar-to-upgrade-air-base-used-by-us-to-fight-terrorism/2018/07/23/19e04c84-8eb7-11e8-b769-e3fff17f0689_story.html?utm_term=.fbd30fa0a31d

Chris Thatcher When your squadron lineage includes bomber, strike, fighter, operational training, and combat support roles, and your predecessors have flown everything from the Handley Page Halifax bomber to the Avro Lancaster, Canadair F-86 Sabre, Lockheed CF-104 Starfighter, Canadair CC-144 Challenger, and CT-133 Silver Star, it's perhaps fitting that you get reborn as an operational test and evaluation squadron. At a ceremony at 8 Wing Trenton, Ont., on May 31, the Royal Canadian Air Force reformed the 434 “Bluenose” Squadron as 434 Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E) Squadron, under command of the RCAF Aerospace Warfare Centre (RAWC). The squadron last served as a combat support squadron in the 1990s, based at 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S. It was disbanded in 2002 and its colours placed in the All Saints Cathedral in Halifax. “The fact that [the squadron] has flown so many different aircraft is [appropriate], in that we have now taken on OT&E for every single aircraft within the RCAF,” said LCol Graham Edwards, a long-range patrol navigator and the new commanding officer. 434 Squadron is being reformed and re-branded in response to the government's 2017 defence policy. With 13 initiatives specific to the RCAF and many aircraft due to be replaced or modernized, the workload for operational test and evaluation is going to increase. By amalgamating five existing test and evaluation flights (TEFs)–helicopter, long-range patrol, transport, land aviation, and fighter–with two new flights for search and rescue and aerospace systems under one command, the Air Force hopes to better manage its limited resources as more platforms and systems require testing and evaluation. “It was deemed that the status quo won't work if we are to achieve success with those initiatives,” said Edwards. Historically, test and evaluation has been managed within each fleet of aircraft, but it has often drawn people from the operational squadrons and into the testing seats to conduct a trial of a new aircraft or aircraft system. Each community will continue to develop its own testing expertise, but by centralizing decisions about how those people are assigned, 434 Squadron hopes to manage the strain when capabilities are being introduced at the same time that the aircraft are being deployed. Search and rescue aircraft, the CP-140 Aurora or the strategic transport CC-177 Globemaster, for example, rarely have a dip in operational tempo. “They can keep the structure of their operational force together,” Edwards said of the operational squadrons. “As the fleets convert back to operations with the new platform, we'll take the people from the test and evaluation chairs and move them back to the operational chairs. And then I can reallocate those test and evaluation [positions] to the next fleet that is undergoing the next transition.” The two new flights are intended to address the arrival of the new CC-295W search and rescue aircraft into service in 2019 and the many ground-based and airborne systems that support all the fleets being introduced in the coming years, such as navigation aids, communication systems, ground-based radars, data link systems, and even simulators. “The new Aero TEF is going to provide that body of expertise and create a body that is responsible to deliver that ground capability,” said Edwards, noting that a coordinated process will ensure interoperability between all systems during the OT&E phase. “There's no sense modifying the fleet with data link systems when we have not done the ground support with it.” By including 434 Squadron under the RAWC, which has been transformed in recent years as one of the RCAF's core pillars with 1 Canadian Air Division (operations) and 2 Canadian Air Division (training), lessons acquired during the test and evaluation phase should be more readily incorporated into the development of doctrine and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) that shape training and operations. Among Edwards' immediate priorities are the amalgamation of the TEFs and establishing a new governance structure, what he called an “air test and evaluation master plan.” But the process won't be completely new. As an exchange officer with RAF Waddington in 2008, he was part of the transformation of 56 Squadron into an OT&E unit for C4ISR (Command, Control, Computers, Communications and Intelligence, Surveillances and Reconnaissance), conducting trials on unmanned aerial systems, Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, and Hawker Siddeley Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft. The return of the squadron's colours was a proud moment and the members are keen to carry on its Bluenose traditions. No. 434 Squadron, adopted by the Rotary Club of Halifax, was the RCAF's 13th overseas bomber squadron, formed on June 13, 1943, at RCAF Station Tholthorpe in England. It was reformed as 434 Strike/Attack Squadron in 1963 and as 434 Operational Training Squadron in 1968. It was then re-designated 434 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron in 1970, as 434 Composite Squadron in 1992, and finally as 434 Combat Support Squadron in 1993. In its first two years of operations, the squadron accomplished eight significant battle honours, reflective of what it is trying to do now in a brief period, said Edwards. But he's hoping to break with at least one 434 Squadron tradition. “The squadron would stand down every time it switched to a new aircraft. Now that we have all the aircraft of the RCAF under the remit of 434, I hope to see a bit more longevity in the squadron.” Helicopter Operational Test & Evaluation Flight at 12 Wing Shearwater, N.S., is responsible for the operationalization of the CH-148 Cyclone Maritime Helicopter. Long Range Patrol Operational Test & Evaluation Flight in 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., is focused primarily on the CP-140 Aurora. Transport Operational Test and Evaluation Flight, located at 8 Wing Trenton, Ont., deals with all air mobility fleets like the CC-130J Hercules, CC-177 Globemaster, and CC-150 Airbus. Land Aviation Test and Evaluation Flight is in St Hubert, Que., and supports tactical aviation helicopters like the CH-147 Chinooks and CH-146 Griffons. Fighter Operational Test & Evaluation Flight is in 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta. and deals with fighter aircraft. (new) Search and Rescue Test & Evaluation Flight will be stood-up at 19 Wing Comox, B.C., and will be responsible for the new Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue, CH-149 Cormorant, and the CC-130H Hercules and CH-146 Griffon SAR fleets. (new) The Aerospace Systems Test & Evaluation Flight will be co-located with 434 Squadron headquarters in 8 Wing Trenton and will deal with ground-based aeronautical systems such as radars, navigational aids, meteorological systems and data links. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/434-squadron-reformed-as-test-and-evaluation-centre/

La Suisse a lancé début juillet l'appel d'offres pour les nouveaux avions de combat. Les constructeurs Boeing, Airbus, Dassault, Saab et Lockheed Martin redoublent déjà d'efforts pour convaincre la Confédération. Cinq jets doivent être évalués: le Gripen E suédois (Saab), le Rafale français (Dassault), l'Eurofighter allemand (Airbus), et côté américain, le successeur du FA-18, le Super Hornet de Boeing, et le F-35A de Lockheed-Martin. Les constructeurs pourront soumettre leur offre à Armasuisse d'ici la fin janvier 2019. En Suède, l'opération de séduction a démarré à Linköping, petite ville de 150'000 habitants et capitale du Gripen. La localité est habituée aux rugissements du chasseur et au secret défense. Alors qu'il n'était qu'un projet en 2014, le Gripen E de Saab a désormais 30 heures de vols à son compteur. "Le Gripen E mûrit très vite", explique Rustan Nicander, responsable du marché suisse chez Saab. "Le Brésil et la Suède sont déjà clients, avant que la Suisse ne décide d'acheter l'appareil. Ce sera donc un appareil très mûr quand la Suisse fera son choix." Convaincre les politiques et l'industrie Pour remporter à nouveau l'appel d'offres, le constructeur suédois tente de rassurer, tout en misant sur son réseau. "Nous avions déjà remporté la dernière évaluation il y a quelques années", rappelle Jonas Hjelm, responsable des affaires aéronautiques. "Je pense que nous apportons cette fois un ensemble encore plus cohérent." Les performances du futur appareil ne constitueront pas le seul critère pour la Suisse. L'ultra-moderne F-35A américain n'a par exemple plus grand chose à prouver. L'entreprise américaine sait donc qu'elle doit aussi convaincre la politique et l'industrie. "Tous les pays qui ont acheté le F-35 ont eu un retour économique et industriel", affirme Yung A. Le, responsable de l'Europe du Nord chez Lockheed Martin. "Ce ne sera pas différent pour la Suisse. Nous avons des collaborateurs qui rencontrent l'industrie en Suisse romande, chez les Alémaniques et les italophones afin de mieux comprendre le tissu industriel." Après le travail de l'industrie, celui de la diplomatie Les entreprises étrangères avec lesquelles des contrats seront signés devront compenser 100% de la valeur des contrats par des affaires en Suisse. Discrète, la filiale allemande d'Airbus privilégie depuis son bureau bernois les coulisses aux grandes campagnes de communication pour vendre son Eurofighter. "Nous ne sommes pas nouveaux en Suisse, nous y avons déjà des contrats avec l'industrie, mais il faut que nous les développions davantage pour atteindre les besoins demandés", indique le Dr. Alexander-Long Vinh, responsable de cette campagne chez Airbus. Après le travail de l'industrie viendra celui de la diplomatie. Ce sera au gouvernement de chaque constructeur de transmettre une offre à la Suisse. Des tests au sol et en vol seront menés dans le pays entre mai et juillet 2019. Un deuxième appel d'offre pour les jets sera mené en novembre 2019 et les réponses sont attendues pour fin mai 2020. Le choix des modèles devrait tomber vers fin 2020. Le Parlement puis le peuple devraient pouvoir se prononcer sur la facture. Loïs Siggen-Lopez/tmun https://www.rts.ch/info/suisse/9717782-la-bataille-du-futur-avion-de-chasse-de-l-armee-suisse-a-demarre.html

By Oriana Pawlyk FARNBOROUGH, England -- There may be a new-old fighter jet on the horizon for the U.S. Air Force. DefenseOne reports that Boeing Co. is pitching a new version of the F-15 Eagle as the service defines its inventory mix of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft. Known as F-15X, the fighter would be equipped with better avionics and radars and would carry more than two dozen air-to-air missiles, DefenseOne said, citing unnamed officials with knowledge of the plans. The strategy would mimic what Boeing did with its Block III F/A-18 Super Hornet: taking an old concept, but boosting the jet fleets to be more potent in current and future missions with a larger variety of weapons, extended range, advanced targeting and sensor systems, and better fuel efficiency, among other enhancements. "We see the marketplace expanding internationally," Gene Cunningham, vice president at Boeing for Global Sales for Defense, Space & Security, told reporters at the Royal International Air Tattoo on Friday. "And it's creating opportunities then to go back and talk to the U.S. Air Force about what might be future upgrades or even potentially future acquisitions of the F-15 aircraft." Related content: Misplaced Depot Paperwork Led to F-15 Grounding, Officials Say As UK Showcases Its Next-Gen Fighter, US Stresses Interoperability Military.com Farnborough Airshow Coverage Boeing on Wednesday did not have further comment beyond Cunningham's remarks. The move comes as officials in recent months have considered retiring the older F-15C/D fleet. Last March, officials told lawmakers they were looking at plans to retire the two models as early as the mid-2020s. The service has 212 F-15C and 24 F-15D models, according to the Air Force Association's 2017 aircraft inventory almanac. Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice at the time said the service as a total force was in "deep discussions" regarding the retirement, with plans to further assess the F-15 inventory this year. But the service is determining what it may procure for its combat-coded fleet going forward. The Air Force is expected to soon debut its aviation road map on just how many fighter aircraft, and potentially other aircraft, it needs to sustain the future fight. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson in May told Military.com the study may also outline the direction for how it trains and retains pilots for certain platforms. Congress directed the service in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act to study the number of fighter and combat-coded squadrons it needs to plus-up to in order to remain ready, she said, similar to what the Navyrecently did with its 355-ship plan. "What do we really need for force structure under this National Defense Strategy ... that work is underway now," Wilson said in an interview. "We have a first look that's due in August, and a report due to Congress in March. "We've been directed to prepare for the re-emergence of great power competition," she said. "We have 301 operational squadrons today of all types, but how many do we really need and what types to confront this threat?" https://www.military.com/dodbuzz/2018/07/19/boeing-pitches-f-15x-fighter-concept-us-air-force-report.html

PARIS (Reuters) - Boeing serait "ravi" de participer au nouveau programme d'avion de combat britannique, même si le projet doit encore être précisé, a déclaré vendredi à Reuters Leanne Caret, patronne de Boeing Defense, Space & Security. La Grande-Bretagne, qui n'a pas développé d'avion de combat seule depuis les années 1960, a dévoilé lundi son futur avion "Tempest" au salon de Farnborough, près de Londres, parallèlement au programme franco-allemand piloté par Paris à horizon 2040. "Ils sont encore en train de mener leurs propres études militaires et de déterminer où ils vont", a dit Leanne Caret au salon de Farnborough. "S'il y a une opportunité pour Boeing de participer et de jouer un rôle, nous serons absolument honorés et ravis d'être du voyage". Eric Trappier, PDG de Dassault Aviation a raillé jeudi le "réveil" des Britanniques vis-à-vis des avions de combat, tandis que ce projet crée une nouvelle lutte fratricide comme celle que se livrent actuellement le Rafale, l'Eurofighter et le Gripen suédois.. Il reste à savoir si les deux projets pourraient fusionner à la suite de la sortie de la Grande-Bretagne de l'Union européenne prévue en mars 2019 ou si Londres nouera de nouvelles alliances, peut-être avec le suédois Saab, constructeur du Gripen. Une alliance entre le britannique BAE Systems, Saab et peut-être le brésilien Embraer, récemment allié à Boeing, pourrait faire émerger un sérieux concurrent au projet franco-allemand. Boeing, qui construit les F/A-18E/F et F-15, pourrait ainsi trouver l'occasion de revenir dans un programme de développement d'avion de combat après avoir perdu le contrat du F-35 au détriment de Lockheed Martin en 2001.