In a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Boeing HH-47 program manager Rick Lemaster asserted that to recompete the combat search and rescue helicopter replacement program would be unfair to Boeing because Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky now were privy to Boeing cost data. That information would make the two losing companies more competitive and put Boeing in a “less competitive posture” the second time around, said Lemaster. “If there were errors, those need to be corrected, but a wholesale recompetition would not be appropriate,” Lemaster added. The Air Force has stated that it doesn’t necessarily believe it must hold a new competition to satisfy the faults cited in the Government Accountability Office protest decision. However, some lawmakers have a different view.
F-35 Deliveries Soared to New Record in 2025
Jan. 8, 2026
Lockheed Martin says it delivered 191 F-35 fighters in 2025—just ahead of the goal it set for itself at the beginning of the year as it works to clear a backlog of jets in storage.
