Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Protest CSAR-X Award
Program worth between $10 billion to $15 billion
By Rodney L. Pringle
Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. have each filed protests with the U.S. Government Accountability Office over the Air Force’s selection of Boeing as the prime contractor for the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) program. Sikorsky said it filed an appeal because it “seeks to ensure the selection process accurately evaluated the characteristics and performance of its HH-92 helicopter.” A Lockheed Martin official said the company is protesting the decision reluctantly because it believes the team that it headed for the competition represented the most capable and most affordable solution for the program. The CSAR-X is a medium-lift helicopter that will replace the Air Force’s fleet of HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, which are quickly approaching their useful service life limit. The primary mission of the CSAR-X will be to recover downed aircrew members and isolated troops in a combat environment. Rescue forces also may conduct missions such as non-conventional assisted recovery, non-combatant evacuation, civil search and rescue, international aid distribution, emergency medical evaluation, disaster/humanitarian relief, and combat forces insertion/extraction. For the competition, Sikorsky offered its HH-92 while the team of AgustaWestland, Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter offered the US101. |