The A-10 is an “incredible asset” for the Air Force and the nation, and the demand for it has increased recently, the nominee for undersecretary of the Air Force told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Dec. 15. “We’re taking a hard look at it, and if confirmed, I look forward to working towards an acceptable plan for recapitalizing this incredibly important mission area. All options are on the table,” said Lisa Disbrow, the current assistant secretary of the Air Force for financial management and comptroller, who also is performing some duties of the undersecretary of the Air Force. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the committee’s chairman, said he hopes Disbrow “will not come before this committee with a request to phase out the A-10 aircraft when … according to the President of the United States yesterday, we will be stepping up our attacks in both Iraq and Syria. And it’s pretty obvious that the A-10 aircraft is one of the major tools to be used to try to destroy ISIS from the air.” (Disbrow prepared testimony.)
NASA, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance are all preparing to launch their next-gen rockets from Florida’s Space Coast, two of them before the year is out. One is expected to liberate the U.S. launch enterprise from its reliance on Russian-made RD-180 engines, while all three rockets could eventually carry astronaut crews.