According to the water-cooler talk amongst defense analysts and industry types, AugustaWestland’s US101 is leading the pack to win the competition for the Air Force’s new combat search and rescue vehicle, known as CSAR-X. The Lexington Institute’s Loren Thompson tells Gannet News Service that he doesn’t hear much support in the Air Force for “buying anything else than the US101.”
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
