Air Force print news (Dec. 17, 2003): replacements sought for aging helicopters.

WASHINGTON -- An aging fleet of combat search and rescue helicopters is leading Air Force officials on a quest for a new personnel recovery vehicle.

The HH-60G Pave Hawks that comprise the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) helicopter fleet are 14 years old on average. The oldest are 23 years old and have surpassed the 7,000 flying-hour mark. The aging aircraft cannot meet mission requirements, officials said.

"We have some requirements that the HH-60G does not meet," said Lt. Col. Griffith Massey, Air Force chief of CSAR and special operations forces requirements. "The six main areas are speed, range, cabin space, survivability, battlespace awareness, and all-weather operability.

"In addition, the aircraft are aging," Massey said. "They are beginning to cost us significantly more money in terms of maintenance and the manpower to work on them to keep them flying."

A mission needs statement approved by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) raised these issues in 1999. It set the stage for acquiring a replacement for the Pave Hawks--the personnel recovery vehicle, or PRV.

A study was conducted, followed by the development of the PRV operational requirements document. The document is now awaiting council approval.

"(The document) at the JROC is a critical step on the timeline," Massey said. "It's required for us to move to the next step."

Though the change will not happen overnight, it is on the horizon, officials said.

"It's something the Air Force has a requirement for and a basic acquisition plan to get to," Massey said. "When we get initial funding, we'll set up a system program office to make this requirement an acquisition program."

The office may be in place as early as the end of fiscal 2004. Initial funding for research and development of the PRV is slated to start in fiscal 2005.

"And then we're looking at source selection, in other words, competition, in the fiscal 2006 timeframe in order to have the contract awarded by the end of 2006, if possible," Massey said.

Several helicopter manufacturers have expressed interest, officials said.

"Eventually, in the fiscal 2012 timeframe, we (will) get the first production deliveries," Massey said. "We're looking for (initial operational capability) in fiscal 2014."

The PRV process may also reveal additional benefits, such as a common helicopter to suit all Air Force requirements.

"Air Combat Command (ACC officials) did a study to determine whether or not a common-helicopter concept would be cost effective and what synergy would come from replacing the UH-1 (Huey) helicopters with something like the PRV," Massey said.

The ACC study found savings of more than $600 million by using the common-helicopter concept.

Other efficiencies in training and maintenance were also discovered, said Lt. Col. Darryl Blan, Air Force operational training branch chief. By changing from different helicopters to one common airframe modified to fit mission requirements, many training obstacles vanish.

When pilots and maintainers want to change airframes, they must attend formal training for each airframe. With the one-airframe concept, that requirement goes away and the mission-unique training could be accomplished at the operational unit.

The development of a common Air Force helicopter would be a first for the Service. The current fleets of Pave Hawks and Hueys are modifications of helicopters developed for the Army.

Staff Sgt. Melanie Streeter, USAF