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 rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
