The Air Force has yet to decide whether it will accede to the Government Accountability Office recommendation to re-compete the combat search and rescue replacement helicopter program awarded to Boeing last fall, much to the surprise and dismay of Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky. However, the only official statement so far indicates USAF does not necessarily think a new CSAR-X competition will be necessary when it applies “the intent” of GAO’s recommendations “more narrowly.” The Air Force says it needs more time “ to fully review the details” before it can “determine an appropriate plan of action.”
The Air Force is in talks with Boeing to modify requirements for its new VC-25B presidential aircraft, in a push to get them into service by 2027. Boeing has given the Air Force a revised timeline that could bring the VC-25B aircraft earlier “if adjustments are made to requirements,” a…