HelpSecretary: CSAR, Bomber Re-starts Are Years Away
September 14th, 2009 | AFA Air & Space Conference 2009 | Posted by John Bennett
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley suggested the service might need to spend years more developing technologies that could be needed for a new long-range bomber, as well as a next-generation search-and-rescue helicopter.
He told reporters the services “expects” the fiscal 2011 defense spending plan will seek research and development funds for a new bomber. “The question is how far beyond [fiscal years] 2011 or 2012 does a new program develop,” Donley said.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates in April ended the long-range strike program, saying he was not satisfied with the Air Force’s work to-date on the classified development effort. He said then he had every intention of re-starting the initiative when the Air Force had done more analytical work on what they needed the plane to do, and what kind of platform they might buy. To that end, Donley said “we have had several conversations” with Gates on the topic and they expect to submit to the defense secretary more information in coming weeks to allay his concerns.
On the search-and-rescue helicopter effort, which Gates also terminated in April,” Donley said it likely will take “one or two years to get through … some specialized requirements we have to work through” the Pentagon’s weapons requirements-approval process. Only then would a new acquisition effort begin.
Donley said Gates ended the former CSAR-X program “because he thought it was overspeced for the need.” In response, Donley said the Air Force will likely “be less ambitious” if it is cleared to begin a new CSAR helo program.
“We have money in the outyears of our budget” to begin a new search-and-rescue effort, he said, “but it will take a couple of years to ramp back up.”
Tags: bomber, csar, CSAR-X, long-range strike, Michael Donley, robert gates
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