MH-139 helo tasked with nuclear missile escort role is operational, Air Force says
The Grey Wolf achieved initial operational capability Aug. 10, and will replace the Vietnam-era UH-1N to protect the Air Force’s nuclear missile fields.
Air Force fields FMS inquiries for MH-139 Grey Wolf helo as test campaign progresses
“As we look at the program moving forward, we’re also excited [about] the interest and the demand signal that we’re seeing, both domestically and from potential customers around the world,” Boeing official Azeem Khan told Breaking Defense.
presented by
Biodefense is force protection: Ready today, prepared for tomorrow
A decorated combat aviator and biotech CEO advocates preparing for novel viral threats before the next crisis.
Air Force to add back over a dozen MH-139 helos in FY26, averting ‘critical’ cost breach
The service is partially reversing course on a planned cut of 38 aircraft, and plans to add back in 14 Grey Wolf helicopters in its upcoming budget request for a fleet size of “at least” 56.
After delays, Boeing hopes for MH-139A Grey Wolf FAA cert this summer
A production decision is now anticipated to occur in 2023, having slipped from the original date of September 2021.
Boeing-Leonardo Team Scoops Up $2.38B UH-1N Replacement Deal
The head of Strategic Command must be very happy this evening, having learned that the Air Force is finally buying a new helicopter to guard America's ICBM fields. The Boeing-Leonardo team won the contract to supply 84 helicopters.
Hyten: Space Force Report In ‘Next Few Weeks’ After Shanahan Cancels Meet
Of DoD's proposed reforms, the biggest thing not included in the NDAA is the Space Development Agency, which would appear to strike a blow at the heart of DoD space acquisition: the Air Force-run Space and Missile Systems Center. SMC has long been criticized for its slow pace, bureaucratic stovepipes, and opacity, but praised for its technical brilliance.
presented by
Engineering decision advantage for the warfighter
Multi-orbit mission capabilities are accelerating decision making across domains.
SecAF Says B-21 ‘On Schedule’ As China Rises To Air Force’s Top Threat
PENTAGON: It’s explicit: China is the Air Force’s “pacing threat.” That was the clearest message from Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, who met with the press the day after the Pentagon budget’s release. China’s rapid modernization is driving the Air Force to respond, Wilson said, though she declined to detail any of the service’s efforts […]
Boeing, Lockheed Submit UH-1N Replacement Bids
ABOVE DULLES AIRPORT: Eager to get out its message that the Boeing-Leonardo MH-139 helicopter would save the US taxpayer $1 billion as the replacement of the UH-1N helicopter, Boeing flew several journalists this afternoon to demonstrate its capabilities. (Boeing’s Rick Lemaster makes the case in our video above). Boeing also delivered nine boxes to the […]
2018 Budget Battle Between Defense, Budget Hawks Begins; Nukes Top Priority
CAPITOL HILL: The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee thinks President Trump’s 2018 spending plan is dead on arrival and has already gone to the Budget Committee to get a much bigger defense budget. Mac Thornberry also doesn’t want defense increases offset by steep cuts to the Coast Guard or State Department, as Trump proposed. Thornberry […]
Sikorsky Unveils HH-60U For Air Force Nuke Response
CORRECTED: Passenger Capacity WASHINGTON: The day before the Air Force Association’s annual winter conference begins, the newest wrinkle in the years-long saga of deciding what aircraft the Air Force would buy to secure America’s nuclear missile fields was announced. Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky will offer — surprise! — an updated version of the Black Hawk helicopter, the HH-60U. […]
presented by
Physics AI is different and changes the way defense systems are designed
Models that replicate real-world physics streamline design, testing and iteration processes.
How Many B-21s? Answer Pending, Says AF Global Strike
CAPITOL HILL: Gen. Robin Rand, head of Air Force Global Strike Command, made it pretty clear he’d like more than the 100 B-21 bombers to which the service is currently committed. He would probably like close to half again that many. Rand told a Mitchell Institute breakfast that the US currently has 156 bombers “in our […]
Air Force Abandons Sole Source Nuke Helos Deal
With legislators demanding open competition for new helicopters to carry security teams to far-flung missile silos in an emergency, the Air Force has bowed to congressional pressure. Sikorsky had been hopeful of a $1.4 billion sole-source deal to replace the aging UH-1N helicopters, whose poor performance in counterterrorism drills had the Air Force saying it needed to bypass […]
Dozen Lawmakers Object To Sole-Source UH-1N Replacement
CORRECTED program cost WASHINGTON: Not so fast, Air Force, a dozen legislators said as the service moved towards a $1.4 billion sole-source replacement of its aging UH-1N helicopters. The Hueys — direct descendants of the famed Vietnam-era bird — carry security teams to far-flung missile silos in an emergency, but their poor performance in counterterrorism drills has the […]
Air Force Strategy on UH-1N: Wait and Hurry Up
What could justify the Air Force awarding a sole source contract for helicopters worth close to a billion – that’s a thousand millions – dollars? Pick an answer: Whatever the answer, Air Force Secretary Deborah James and other officials confirmed in House Armed Services subcommittee hearings Thursday that the service’s acquisition arm is studying whether […]