The Air Force will have a “full and open competition” to replace the entire UH-1N helicopter fleet, according to a statement from the service. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James in March told the House Armed Services Committee that a decision to replace the Vietnam-era Hueys that protect ICBM fields was “a couple of weeks away,” and Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Frank Kendall in late April told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee that USAF might accelerate the replacement of the helicopters. The Air Force did propose “an immediate re-programming action” based on a request from US Strategic Command boss Adm. Cecil Haney, but after review, the Department of Defense “remains committed to a competitive acquisition approach,” according to the Air Force statement. The service “has taken multiple steps to mitigate shortfalls in mission requirements to enhance readiness and security of the nation’s nuclear deterrent,” the statement reads.
An F-16 pilot was awarded a Silver Star for a harrowing mission in which he dodged multiple surface-to-air missiles during the opening weeks of the operation against the Houthis in Yemen earlier this year.
