Defense budget, NDAA, acquisition and Pentagon policy.
The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin agreed on a 10-year framework for at least 850 U.S. F-35s, but there is no price tag and nothing is binding until Congress grants multiyear authority and funds fiscal 2027.
A new report to Congress puts the Air Force’s moderate-risk fighter requirement at 1,509 jets by 2035. The service is 47 jets below its legal minimum today, and 14 of its FY27 F-35s hinge on a reconciliation bill now in doubt.
SMDC’s Lt. Gen. John Rafferty says an Army air defense unit has been earmarked for Golden Dome. The bigger problem: nearly all of the shield’s $17.5 billion 2027 request sits in a reconciliation bill Congress hasn’t moved.
The CBO says the Iran war has cost the Pentagon about $38 billion, but that total excludes damage to US bases. Five Senate Armed Services Democrats want CENTCOM’s classified estimate released by Nov. 2.
The framework deal with BAE Systems covers APKWS laser-guidance kits, which turn unguided rockets into precision weapons for about $35,000 a shot.
The missile shield was paid for outside the regular budget, so the stopgap that started Oct. 1 gives it nothing. Senators from both parties want that fixed.
That’s on top of a $53.6 billion drone line already in the 2027 budget, and less than a third of that buys drones outright.
Patriot, THAAD and SM-3 makers signed billions in new deals in five days this month. CSIS says getting back to prewar stockpiles could still take up to four years.