{"id":82910,"date":"2017-09-19T15:50:08","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T15:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/09\/19\/secaf-no-concerns-over-northrop-orbital-agreement\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:22:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:22:25","slug":"secaf-no-concerns-over-northrop-orbital-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/2017\/09\/19\/secaf-no-concerns-over-northrop-orbital-agreement\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force secretary: No concerns over Northrop-Orbital agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The secretary of the U.S. Air Force says the service is ony meeting about 5 percent of combatant commander requirements for the JSTARS program. Heather Wilson sat down with Defense News TV at the annual AFA conference to discuss the program’s recapitalization, recent defense industry acquisitions, and the service’s announcement about a science and technology review.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. \u2015 Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Heather Wilson has no concerns \u201cat this point\u201d over Northrop Grumman\u2019s proposed acquisition of Orbital ATK, but said the service will keep a close eye on how things move forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have any concerns at this point,\u201d Wilson told Defense News in an interview at the Air Force Association\u2019s annual conference on Sept. 19. \u201cObviously, we watch these things and make sure that no matter [what] happens when companies acquire other companies that the Air Force gets what it needs and that contracts are complied with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northrop announced Monday it will be buying Orbital for more than $9.2 billion, in a move that caught industry largely by surprise. It represents the second major defense acquisition of the month, following a United Technologies Corporation announcement that it intends to purchase Rockwell Collins for $30 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That churn isn\u2019t a surprise to Wilson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot happening in defense and space at the moment, so it\u2019s not a surprise to me that companies would be looking to acquire other companies, position themselves for the future; and in some ways it\u2019s an indication of the health of the sector that there\u2019s a lot going on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One potential concern for the acquisition involves the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program, which will replace the Air Force\u2019s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Air Force had mandated that both Orbital ATK and its prime competitor, Aerojet Rocketdyne, work with all three prime contractors \u2015 Northrop, Lockheed Martin and Boeing \u2015 during the initial competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, the service downselected to Northrop and Boeing, but still mandated that the engine companies be available to work with both competitors. If Northrop completes the acquisition, it could create an awkward situation where its subsidiary would be potentially working with its competitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, the head of Air Force Materiel Command, said Sept. 18 that she found out about the acquisition around the same time the information became public, and said that, like Wilson, she wanted to see more details before raising any potential concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\t