Space Wants New Helos: The acting commander of Air Force Space Command, Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, in Washington June 14 for a speech, told reporters that AFSPC believes it needs 20 or more new helicopters to replace the 1970s vintage UH-1 Hueys it uses primarily to patrol its far-flung ICBM fields. He said the command’s analysis is on its to the Air Staff for review. The service is already working to replace Air Force Special Operations Command’s combat search and rescue helicopters. A major topic of his remarks concerned the future of the command’s ICBM force.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be operational in the late 2020s, several years before the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems, Air Force officials told the House Armed Services tactical aviation panel. The CCAs will first be “shooters,” then electronic warfare platforms, then sensors, in that order, they added.