An unnamed Air Force spokeswoman has confirmed Lockheed Martin’s news that the Air Force plans to make the CSAR-X contract award in September, reports Reuters news service. The spokeswoman did not give a firm date for the award. Earlier this year, the Air Force decided to change the program requirements to provide more capability up front, thus delaying the award decision from spring to late summer. The Air Force wants to replace 101 HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters with 141 new combat search and research aircraft. Competitors include Lockheed Martin’s US101, Boeing’s CH-47, and Sikorsky’s VH-92. USAF expects to begin fielding the new platform in 2010.
Army Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, warned that Russia would remain an enduring threat to NATO and global security, regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine.