AFSOC’s CSAR-X Plan Meets a Cautious Congress: Lawmakers, apparently weary of weapons program cost and schedule overruns, took aim at Air Force Special Operations Command’s program to replace its elderly HH-60 Pave Hawk combat search and rescue helicopters. The 2006 defense spending bill contains a statement of concern that USAF might lose sight of the need to replace the HH-60s in “sufficient number” or in a “timely manner.” Appropriators have directed the Air Force to select an “existing aircraft” to limit time on R&D, and, what’s more, they are holding back $66 million of the $72 million slated for CSAR-X in 2006 until the service delivers a report with “detailed cost and schedule estimates.”
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
