US AIR FORCE NOMINEE VOWS TO TACKLE F-35 COSTS, BACK NUCLEAR MODERNIZATION

摘要

Bringing down sustainment costs for the Lockheed Martin-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would be a "top priority" for the nominee to lead U.S. Air Force acquisitions, he said Oct. 5. Andrew Hunter, a former director of the Pentagon's Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell and President Joe Biden's pick for assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, told senators he would address the problem. "The F-35 is an absolutely vital system for the nation and the challenges we confront with peer competitors we confront, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region," Hunter said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "The cost of sustaining the F-35 has been something that has stressed the services, particularly the Air Force, which has the largest number of aircraft."