Looks like we will be getting the HH-47 for CSAR. Good news.


Air Force Awards Copter Deal to Boeing
Thursday November 9, 5:10 pm ET
By Matthew Daly, Associated Press Writer
Air Force Awards $13B Contract for Search, Rescue Combat Helicopters to Team Led by Boeing

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Air Force awarded at $13 billion contract Thursday for search and rescue combat helicopters to a team led by aerospace giant Boeing Co., two members of Congress said.
The lawmakers, speaking on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made, said Chicago-based Boeing beat out rival Lockheed Martin and helicopter maker Sikorsky for the contract to build 141 helicopters by 2019 for the Air Force's fleet of rescue aircraft. Estimates of the contract's eventual value run as high as $25 billion.

Some Wall Street and industry analysts had thought Maryland-based Lockheed would win. The Lockheed version had a roomier cabin, three powerful engines and was cheaper than the Boeing version.

The decision is the latest blow to Sikorsky, a division of United Technologies Co., which sought to replace its own Pave Hawk helicopters that the Air Force has flown since 1982 on rescue missions.

Sikorsky, based in Stratford, Conn., spent about $1 billion developing the new S-92 model, according to analyst estimates, but has yet to find a U.S. government buyer. Sikorsky has a deal to provide 28 to the Canadian government.

"It would be bad for them," Paul Nisbet, a defense industry analyst with JSA Research said before the late afternoon announcement. "They would go twice without winning despite having the most modern and up-to-date helicopter of the group."





Can't wait to see them. I saw the mock-up in D.C. in SEP. It looked great.





Start building gents!!!

Glad to see it but the Blackhawk Baby in me is a little disappointed that it wasn't the S-92.

Mac

I can't say I'm too excited about the AF's choice. It was supposed to be a lightlift helicopter and instead they awarded the contract to an old, heavylift model. I'd have loved a moded 3 engine MH-53E to replace the Pave Lows, but I'm sceptical about the Chinook filling in the Pave-Hawk's combat search and rescue role. However, it should make for a interesting model. I've been told they are going to widened the crew door to assist with the SPEC-OPS requirements and make several other minor adjustments. They're supposed to make it quieter too.

And Somehow this is "
"??????

Gino, you know I respect you and your service to our counntry, but this sounds to me like someone in Washington has a district in need of some unemployment offsets. Typical that the men who put their [auto-censored]s on the line day-to-day wil take it IN the [auto-censored] when a Korean-War era design castoff gets the go-ahead in favor of better, cheaper designs.
Hell, HMX-1 wanted the Sikorsky-92 for all the above reasons(not to mention airframe & spares compatability) but the current administration decided to go with a eurocopter design(which we Haven't the training much less support for) as a sop to the "Coalitition -of-the-willing-to suck-up-to-the-Last-Superpower".
Is this what we really want the Chief Executive of the most powerful nation on the planet riding in on a daily basis? Do I hear a "Giant Sucking Sound" From the General direction of (~SHUDDER~ ) FRANCE????

Just my .02 USD ( or euros, depending on what I'm being taxed to buy...)

P.S.-Thought Nazis, feel free to edit where appropriate...

RobH(LogansDad)

Since I know nothing of the deal, I probably should just leave it at that and keep quiet. There has got to be a reason to why the AF chose the way they did, I would hate to think that "deep-pocketbooks" always muscle their way in - so to speak.

I have a brother that works for Boeing in the helocopter division in some advanced area (security clearances keep him from spilling gut :-) ) And what I do hear from him, they have to bust butt to keep ahead of competition. So there has to be something other than incompetance in this choice.

I've met a few politicians in my day, and no matter what they have for personal views there are always other issues to account for, that have to be taken in the equation. Like it or not it is just the way it is.

But understand that I am trying to be objective, but still feel that maybe something is wrong with old kit. Technology has gotten better by light-years from the time of the first use of the 47 series. I just don't get it...but also am curious as to how it will work out!

Um, yeah, Brian, Thanks, that's a lot closer to what I was trying to
say...

I guess I should quit Posting While Intoxicated in the wee hours of the morning...

Just hope this doesn't turn in to another boondoggle that winds up costing more lives...

Pax'
LD

Heck for all I know, the AF could be working together with Trumpeter. This decision could lead to aftermaket allterations for their 1/35 Chinook...

Maybe I'm still a little too young and optimistic , but I still have faith that the best platform to perform the mission has been selected. I still believe in the procurement process and how it works. I saw both the US-101 and HH-47 mock-ups and the HH-47 looked much better to me. I have also spoken with a few CSAR guys and they are all for the HH-47. Today's MH/HH-47 is not the same one that has been around since Vietnam. As stated above, technology has changed and the Chinook has been upgraded along with it. We shall see how it turns out.

I have to agree with Gino. Boeing went back to the drawing board in many ways for this one. While the type has been in service for 50 years, this is not the Viet Nam era aircraft that it may appear to be. The only drawback to this choice that I see is air transportabliity ( remove aft transmission ). The entire length of the airframe is essentially useable space, higher speed, longer endurance, potential of 30k+ Lbs lift capacity, equipment for most missions can stay with the aircraft at all times allowing greater flexibility.

Mac