Pentagon Wants To Try Competitive Contracts For F-35 Upgrades

The Dept. of Defense says it hopes to include competitive proposals for expensive block upgrades of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in an effort to manage sustainment costs, reports Aviation Week & Space Technology.

Accordingly, the Air Force will be pushing for a more open systems architecture in Block 4, the first post-service entry upgrade, which is now being defined, said William LaPlante, the Air Force assistant secretary for acquisition.

This would make it possible for...