Just
in case everyone wasn’t already clear on this, the Combat Search and Rescue helicopter replacement project (CSAR-X) is definitely dead and isn’t coming back. In an interview, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said that “a successor model” of the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter will be the CSAR mount for the foreseeable future. He added, it’s “a pretty good airplane; it’s not a perfect rescue airplane; but it can operate at altitude; it’s a resilient airframe; it’s proven.” Schwartz said that recapitalizing the HH-60 with “a modern generation descendant” will meet about “80 percent of the CSAR-X requirement.” Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has touted 80-percent solutions as the best way for the services to meet their needs, said the solution for joint personnel recovery is still under review, but it would appear that may be old information. USAF already is buying modified Black Hawks.
Golden Dome Details Begin to Emerge
Dec. 7, 2025
The Golden Dome air and missile defense shield to protect the United States will have some “operational capability” in 2028, the program’s leader said Dec. 6 at the Reagan National Defense Forum.
