The deadline for submitting bids in the third round of the CSAR-X competition passed today in awkward silence. It's only a $15 billion contract award now entering source selection, yet it was almost ignored.
But maybe the silence is understandable. No one is sure if the new administration will allow the US Air Force to award a contract in the spring (or second quarter), as currently planned. It has been reported that CSAR-X could even be indefinitely delayed, in order for the USAF to afford the expense of another two or three years of F-22 production.
The fact remains the competition is still very alive. The three competitors -- the Boeing HH-47, Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland US101, Sikorsky HH-92 -- each desperately want to win this contract.
The best assessment of the competition comes from a Boeing presentation, dated September 2008. It shows the precise status of each of the bidders at the end of the first round of bidding. The competition will likely be decided by how each competitor corrects the flaws in their opening proposals.
But maybe the silence is understandable. No one is sure if the new administration will allow the US Air Force to award a contract in the spring (or second quarter), as currently planned. It has been reported that CSAR-X could even be indefinitely delayed, in order for the USAF to afford the expense of another two or three years of F-22 production.
The fact remains the competition is still very alive. The three competitors -- the Boeing HH-47, Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland US101, Sikorsky HH-92 -- each desperately want to win this contract.
The best assessment of the competition comes from a Boeing presentation, dated September 2008. It shows the precise status of each of the bidders at the end of the first round of bidding. The competition will likely be decided by how each competitor corrects the flaws in their opening proposals.
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