Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), second-time Presidential candidate and frequent Air Force critic, has asked for documentation on the Air Force award of the combat search and rescue helicopter replacement program to Boeing last year, reports the Congressional newspaper The Hill. In a letter sent to Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne last week, McCain questions whether requirements changed during the award process resulting in “a system that provides a very different capability” than battlefield commanders requested. USAF’s choice of the Boeing HH-47 surprised many. Now, after the Government Accountability Office sustained protests from Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky, the Air Force will reopen the process to allow each competitor to revise its proposals based on the protest issue and could award CSAR-X to any one of the original three.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.