The Air Force on Wednesday issued a clarifying statement to explain its actions regarding the Government Accountability Office’s protest decisions on the combat search and rescue helicopter replacement program, stating that “recent reports in the media have not fully captured the complexities of this process.” (We reported yesterday on the wildly at odds news reports.) Bottom line: The Air Force intends to let all three competitors—Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Sikorsky—respond to a clarified request for proposals. “If the evaluation of the revised proposals results in a change to the CSAR-X Best Value Source Selection decision, the Air Force will make any necessary changes in contract award,” reads the USAF statement. That means that Boeing may not be the winner after all.
The first flight of the secretive B-21 bomber has slipped to mid-2022, but the program is moving along well, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director Randall Walden said in an exclusive interview. The second copy of the B-21, which will be used for structural testing, is now on the production…