{"id":22037,"date":"2020-03-27T17:43:16","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T17:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2020\/03\/27\/heres-how-covid-19-is-impacting-the-air-forces-most-important-weapons-programs\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:35:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:35:55","slug":"heres-how-covid-19-is-impacting-the-air-forces-most-important-weapons-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/space\/2020\/03\/27\/heres-how-covid-19-is-impacting-the-air-forces-most-important-weapons-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s how COVID-19 is impacting the US Air Force\u2019s most important weapons programs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Over the past few weeks, U.S. defense contractors have watched the new coronavirus, known as COVID-19, transform from a looming threat into a national crisis. But so far there have been no significant negative impacts to Air Force weapons development programs, the service\u2019s acquisition executive said.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are always concerns, but right now I have no major delays, and that\u2019s due to fantastic people thinking creatively<\/a>,\u201d Will Roper, the Air Force\u2019s assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters in a March 27 teleconference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been a long week, but here are the CliffsNotes on what\u2019s happening with Air Force acquisition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source selection for next-generation rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles remain on track:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contract negotiations are still continuing for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program<\/a>, which will field a replacement for the Minuteman III ICBMs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGBSD is still on track to get their source selection done and contract awarded on time,\u201d Roper said. \u201cIn fact, I was with that team just today, this morning, to double check and get an output from them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force is negotiating a sole-source contract with Northrop Grumman after Boeing dropped out of the program last year<\/a>. A contract award is expected by the end of September 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service is also on pace to award a contract for its two next-generation rocket systems as part of the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 Launch Service Procurement, Roper said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal of the program is to ween the U.S. military from operating launch systems with Russian engines such as the RD-180 currently used in Atlas V rockets made by United Launch Alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Northrop Grumman <\/a>and Blue Origin<\/a> are competing for the chance to be one of the Air Force\u2019s two space launch providers. The service is expected to award a contract this year for missions from 2022 to 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pause in KC-46 aircraft production isn\u2019t a major issue … yet:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boeing announced earlier this week<\/a> that it would implement a two-week pause at its production facilities in the Puget Sound, Washington-region \u2014 including the Everett production line of the KC-46.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force was given early notice of the decision by Boeing Defense CEO Leanne Caret, Roper said, and the program can easily recover from a two-week delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if the suspension is extended to a month or longer, it will have a larger impact on KC-46 deliveries, he acknowledged, adding that there\u2019s currently \u201cno reason\u201d to believe Boeing will extend the pause in production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve tried to make it very clear to our industry partners that we expect them to do whatever is necessary to keep our critical defense-industrial base workforce and their families healthy, but the standing back up will be important too, because that sends a message to our adversaries that a domestic crisis is not a time of opportunity nor does it create a readiness bathtub in the future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force and Boeing also continue to make progress on negotiations for a final design of the Remote Vision System<\/a>, a series of cameras and sensors used by KC-46 boom operators to see outside of the tanker and guide the boom into a receiver aircraft for midair refueling. However, Roper was hesitant to say that an agreement would be reached by March \u2014 the service\u2019s prior projection<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always tempting for me to put a date. When you\u2019re working on a negotiation, it\u2019s tough. There are a lot of details to go through, but that has not come off the table, and we\u2019re hoping that we will reach an equitable agreement soon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest concern is whether governors will issue statewide lockdown decrees that don\u2019t make exceptions for defense contractors:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If states begin to completely shut down business operations with \u201cshelter in place\u201d orders that make no exceptions allowing \u201cmission critical\u201d personnel like defense contractors to go into the office, companies like Raytheon and Northrop Grumman will be unable to progress with classified work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight now we don\u2019t have the ability to remote SCIFs,\u201d Roper said, using an abbreviation for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, which are spaces secured for the sharing of classified information.<\/p>\n\n\n\t