The Air Force plans to issue its final amended request for proposals this week and would give the three competitors—Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Sikorsky—a little over two weeks to return their revised proposals for the combat search and rescue replacement helicopter program. It seems a fast turnaround, given that the draft amended RFP prompted additional questions. Although this new round centers only on estimates for operations and support costs, the draft amendment prompted requests for clarification from both Lockheed and Sikorsky and fueled the debate over whether the earlier award to Boeing bypassed warfighter requirements. One critical issue was the key performance parameter change from “mission ready” to “flight ready.” Air Force spokesman Don Manuszewski told the Daily Report yesterday that Air Force Special Operations Command prompted that KPP change in April 2005, before USAF switched the CSAR force back to Air Combat Command. AFSOC decided, after discussion with Air Force and DOD test entities, that the variability of CSAR missions would prohibit testing for the more stringent mission-ready status; so AFSOC opted to switch to flight ready. Boeing’s CSAR-X entrant barely passed the flight-ready KPP.
Celebrating 100 Years of Liquid-Fueled Rockets
March 11, 2026
March 16, 2026, marks 100 years since Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Over the past century, new and ever more capable liquid-fueled rockets have literally propelled humanity into space. Why liquid-fueled rockets?