The Connecticut-based Sikorsky has filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office over the Air Force’s modus operandi for re-competing the combat search and rescue helicopter replacement program, making the protest picture complete since Lockheed Martin filed a new protest last week. Sikorsky spokesman Paul Jackson told the Connecticut Post, “Our original concern remains that the Air Force is not fully considering the complete merits of the individual aircraft platforms.” The GAO reportedly has indicated it can perform a speedy resolution of the latest protests.
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.
