The two competitors left out in the cold on the Combat Search and Rescue aircraft replacement program have decided to protest the Air Force decision to award the CSAR-X contract—potentially worth up to $15 billion—to Boeing. Sikorsky hoped to sell the Air Force an advanced version of its Hawk helicopter—the H-92 Superhawk—to replace the service’s fleet of Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawks. It filed its protest with the Government
Accountability Office on Nov. 17. The Lockheed Martin-Agusta Westland team, which had high hopes for its new US101 aircraft since the Marine Corps tapped it to replace the Presidential helicopters, filed a CSAR-X protest on Nov. 20. Air Force leaders already have defended their selection, saying that Boeing could deliver its product sooner than the other two competitors. The GAO has until late February to render a decision in both cases.
PHOTOS: Air Force Shows Off Second B-21 in New Images
Sept. 12, 2025
On Sept. 12, the Air Force released half a dozen new photos of the second B-21 bomber to fly, giving observers and aviation enthusiasts another glimpse of the secretive Raider.