Farnborough, UK Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley wants everyone to know the Navy is “fully committed” to the F-35 program. At a Farnborough Air Show press conference Monday, Stackley took umbrage at a reporter’s assertion that the sea service has been a reluctant F-35 partner and has a preference for the F/A-18E/F. The Navy’s plan is to start fielding the F-35 in 2018, he said, and its initial operating capability in that year “has always been tied to the 3F” version of software that will be available at that point. In the meantime, though, Stackley said the Navy has been wrestling with fighter shortages, hence the F/A-18 adds to the budget. But the F-35 will replace older F/A-18 units “one for one” as the new jets become available.
B-21 Temporary Shelters Could Also Shelter B-2s
March 5, 2021
The Air Force's experimental runway shelter for the new B-21 bomber is large enough to cover it or the B-2, and therefore reveals no information about the dimensions of the new aircraft. Two such shelters will be evaluated, but the maker of the second version hasn't been chosen, yet.