Air Force Global Strike Command is interested in increasing the service life of its Vietnam War-era UH-1N Huey helicopters—that protect the nation’s ICBM fields—by an additional 30 years, while still maintaining the helicopters’ mission-capability rate. Towards that end, Air Force officials issued a request for information to industry on April 17 to identify potential companies capable of increasing the aircraft’s endurance, range, speed, all-weather capability, and survivability. In addition, the service would like to see modernized communication and navigation systems put on the venerable helos. The service is interested in addressing at least some of these issues between Fiscal 2014 and Fiscal 2018, according to the solicitation. Members of industry have until the end of April to provide their feedback. (See Entering Unchartered Territory from the Daily Report archives.)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.