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in case everyone wasn’t already clear on this, the Combat Search and Rescue helicopter replacement project (CSAR-X) is definitely dead and isn’t coming back. In an interview, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said that “a successor model” of the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter will be the CSAR mount for the foreseeable future. He added, it’s “a pretty good airplane; it’s not a perfect rescue airplane; but it can operate at altitude; it’s a resilient airframe; it’s proven.” Schwartz said that recapitalizing the HH-60 with “a modern generation descendant” will meet about “80 percent of the CSAR-X requirement.” Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has touted 80-percent solutions as the best way for the services to meet their needs, said the solution for joint personnel recovery is still under review, but it would appear that may be old information. USAF already is buying modified Black Hawks.
Lockheed Martin is withdrawing personnel who support Iraq’s F-16 fleet from a major operating base because of threats from militias in the region, a step that will likely limit the fleet’s operations. The move comes after contractors left Balad Air Base in recent months because of the threat from Iranian-backed…