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.
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David R. Wolfe recently pledged “a plus-up in manpower” for the maintainer ranks, as the service prepares to launch a major overhaul of its maintenance career field next year.