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Acquisition Update
Acquisition Update: The Air Force expects to be able to make a decision on the winning CSAR-X helicopter “by the spring timeframe,” according to Maj. Gen. Randy Fullhart, director of global reach programs in the Air Force Secretariat. Appearing Feb. 1 on This Week in Defense News, a CBS TV news show, Fullhart also said the Air Force hopes to get out a new request for proposal for the KC-X tanker sometime this year. The Air Force, he said, is “still going to press forward with the idea of one aircraft” being chosen via a winner-take-all competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman and is against a split-buy strategy (i.e., buying both Boeing and Northrop tankers) because, as Defense Secretary Robert Gates has stated, a split buy “doubles the cost up front” of the acquisition. The Air Force is also planning to issue a new request for information to industry this month on fee-for-service aerial refueling services, said Fullhart. This could potentially lead to a request for proposal later this year. As for the future of the C-17 production line, Fullhart said service officials “see the end in sight” and have no intention of continuing production beyond the current 205-aircraft program of record.
2/4/2009
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On the Record
Mission One
"The health and safety of our pilots—all of our pilots—is our utmost priority. Our operational flight surgeons and our medical staff interact with our pilots on a daily basis."
—Brig. Gen. Daniel Wyman, Air Combat Command command surgeon, speaking to reporters during a teleconference, May 9, 2012. He was emphasizing that the Air Force is doing all it can to ensure the safety of F-22 pilots as service officials continue to home in on the cause of why some Raptor pilots have experienced hypoxia-like symptoms in the cockpit like difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headaches, and nausea. |
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On the Record
Message to Congress
"If you give us force structure back, give us the money, too. Because the quickest way I know to a hollow force is to give us structure without money. Simple as that. . . . 'Make it work' is not a satisfactory solution."
—Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz articulating his message to lawmakers on the Air Force's Fiscal 2013 budget proposal during a speech at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., May 1, 2012. The Air Force leadership has proposed reducing force structure and personnel next fiscal year in order to maintain a ready and capable force as the service absorbs significant spending cuts. |
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