Wednesday afternoon the Air Force acknowledged that it had released its amended final request for proposals on the combat search and rescue replacement aircraft program. In its statement, the service indicated that it had met with each of the original three offerors and had exchanged “questions and comments” in what officials have consistently described as an “open and transparent process.” In an apparent attempt to deflect some of the criticism that has focused on lack of warfighter input, the statement also notes that “experienced Air Force combat search and rescue personnel, both aircrews and maintainers, have been involved in every step of the acquisition process.” USAF expects to complete evaluation of new proposals from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Sikorsky in the fall.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
