Brian Everstine is the Pentagon Editor for Aviation Week, based in Washington, D.C. Before joining Aviation Week in August 2021, Brian covered the Pentagon for Air Force Magazine. Brian began covering defense aviation in 2011 as a reporter for Military Times. Over a decade as a defense journalist, he has reported from dozens of bases at home and abroad, including austere airstrips in Afghanistan, the cockpit of a B-52 over the South Pacific and the boom operator station of a KC-46. Before the military beat, Brian covered the Washington state legislature for the Associated Press.
The U.S. Air Force is ruling out taking the British route of acquiring used Boeing 737 business jets to quickly convert to its new E-7A Wedgetail standard and requiring new build aircraft, though the company says it could accelerate its military line to speed up the program if there is enough demand.
Now that the service has collected and digested industry feedback, USAF Secretary Frank Kendall says he has a clearer idea of what is possible and what programs are realistic in the near term.
