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.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.