Boeing officials took their special operations version of the HH-47 helicopter—the MH-47G—to Nellis AFB, Nev., to demonstrate the potential of the HH-47 Chinook to fill Air Force needs for a new combat search and rescue aircraft. The CSAR-X program, as it’s called, has a number of interested parties. Boeing says its entrant “already meets the Air Force’s initial requirements.” And, officials say, the company’s assembly line can deliver the new helo “well ahead” of the program schedule.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
