The Bids are In, Again

The Bids are In, Again: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Sikorsky have all turned in their updated CSAR-X bids to the Air Force, meeting the service’s Jan. 20 deadline for this latest round in its combat search and rescue helicopter recapitalization saga, reports Flight. Unless the new Administration changes the CSAR-X program’s course, it now appears that we are looking at an announcement sometime in the spring or summer on the long-delayed source selection. Boeing won the initial contest more than two years ago in November 2006 with its HH-47 design. But two subsequent rounds of successful legal challenges by Lockheed and Sikorsky over how the Air Force conducted its evaluation of the bids, including their respective HH-71 and HH-92 models, caused the Air Force to accept revised bids and redo its evaluation. The winning helicopter will replace the service’s HH-60s, which are elderly and limited in areas like range and cabin space. The Air Force wants to field the first squadron of what will eventually be a fleet of 141 new rescue helicopters no later than the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2014, if not earlier.

1/22/2009

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.

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.