The US Government Accountability Office's (GAO) probe into the US Air Force's CSAR-X combat search-and-rescue contest has revealed that Boeing's winning HH-47 Chinook proposal was the most expensive of the three bids, but offered "exceptional performance". Lockheed Martin's US101-based offer was marked down because of the company's performance on the delayed VH-71 Presidential helicopter programme, while Sikorsky's HH-92 was judged to be the cheapest, but its performance the lowest.
The USAF has yet to respond to the GAO's recommendation to reopen the potentially $15 billion, 145-aircraft CSAR-X contest.
Source: Flight International
