New York lawmakers have begun to pressure the Air Force to reopen the combat search and rescue helicopter replacement program. Letters have gone to Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne from Sen. Hillary Clinton, Rep. Michael Arcuri, and Rep. Maurice Hinchey, expressing dismay that the service plans to “narrowly” view the Government Accountability Office decision on the CSAR-X protests by Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky. The three Democrats are particularly interested in giving Lockheed, with its Owego, N.Y.-based helicopter plant, another bite at the apple.
The Air Force has finished resurrecting a B-1B Lancer, completing a yearslong process to transform a bomber that had been stored for parts in the Arizona desert into the new flagship of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.