When Sue Payton became head of air force acquisitions 10 months ago, the air force was still reeling from the tanker fiasco, the largest procurement scandal in Pentagon history.

In taking the job, she said she understood that the air force needed to quickly restore its image and become the “very best acquisition core in all government”. Aside from having to deal with the aftermath of the tanker scandal, Ms Payton has had to tackle the spiralling costs of weapons programmes.