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 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.