Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has urged the Air Force to stick with DOD policy when it re-evaluates operations and support costs for the combat search and rescue helicopter program. Specifically, DeLauro wants estimates of fuel costs for each of the three contending platforms—Boeing’s HH-47, Lockheed Martin-Agusta Martin’s US101, and Sikorsky’s HH-92—to follow policy that considers “the fully burdened cost of fuel.” DeLauro made the plea in a May 11 letter to the Air Force obtained by Dow Jones Newswires. Connecticut-based Sikorsky believes that its helicopter would prove far more economical in fuel costs than the original CSAR-X winner, Boeing’s heavier HH-47, or Lockheed’s US101. On May 15, USAF issued a draft of its revised request for proposals and indicated it planned to hold discussions with each offeror.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
