By Jen DiMascio
The Air Force was scheduled to reel in another set of bids for its Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) helicopter effort yesterday.
Boeing [BA] initially won the $10 billion contract for 141 aircraft in November 2006. But competitors Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Sikorsky [UTX] have twice filed protests with the Government Accountability Office that led the Air Force to revisit its decision for the HH-60G Pave Hawk replacement.
The Air Force anticipates awarding the development contract by July, and would field the first squadron some time before the middle of 2014 (Defense Daily, Dec. 5).
The latest go-round completely reopened the competition to new bids by all three competitors. Boeing is offering the HH-47, a version of the Chinook; Lockheed Martin is putting up its US101; and Sikorsky is placing its bets on the HH-92.
According to a statement from Boeing, the proposal it submitted yesterday responded to the fifth amendment of the Air Force’s original request for proposals that came out in November 2007.
“Our focus has remained on providing the Air Force a low-risk, date-certain, best value offering that meets or exceeds all customer performance requirements,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. “With its superior range, payload and speed, we are confident the HH-47 will provide the customer with an aircraft that can best perform the mission of reliably bringing downed flight crews safely home.”
Paul Jackson, a spokesman for Sikorsky, said the company has submitted its proposal and believes “ardently that it provides a superior aircraft for the Air Force and best value for the taxpayer.”
Lockheed Martin did not return requests for comment about the bid.