Austin pledged to fully fund the office in the future. The March 2020 engine failure led to an investigation into the vibration problem. Neither was immediately disclosed. Pratt & Whitney says all new F135 engines it is now delivering come with the vibration fix already installed. The affected F-35s could be back in the air in one to two weeks. The number of small business participating in the American defense-industrial base declined by more than 40% in the past decade. Time is running out to fix the problem and keep F-35 production going, according to Rep. Rob Wittman. “They spent years trying to develop a simulator to test [the F-35], and they still can’t deliver that," POGO's Dan Grazier said. Officials told the GAO the decision to exclude the F-22 stems from the fighter's "reduced role in the future force structure," among other factors. The mission includes three payloads from the Space Rapid Capabilities Office: two for enhanced situational awareness and one for secure communications. The U.S. has now collected 510 reports of unidentified flying objects, many of which are flying in sensitive military airspace. Load More