The next increment of OASuW is the Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive (HALO) weapon, first disclosed in a budget request in 2022 with prototypes expected this year.
Rather than proceeding with a new F-35 engine, the service is using remaining Adaptive Engine Transition Program funds for sixth-generation development.
Northrop Grumman’s sales rose 9% year-on-year to $9.6 billion in the second quarter while earnings-per-share (EPS) fell to $5.34 from $6.06 a year ago.
Italy will send four F-35s to Komatsu air base on the northern coast of Honshu, the Japanese mainland—the first Italian deployment to Japan since the 1920s.
Lockheed says increasing production beyond the 156-a-year level would require a business case based on an influx of new orders from new or existing customers.
U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall says the House's addition of $558 million for the force's Adaptive Engine Transition Program is akin to "throwing money away."