The Senate Armed Services Committee’s (SASC) version of the fiscal 2023 defense authorization bill recommends adding $350 million in advanced procurement for the buy of 10 more Lockheed Martin [LMT] HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopters (CRHs) beyond the U.S. Air Force’s $707 million request for 10 HH-60Ws.
SASC took issue with the Air Force’s proposal to end the HH-60W buy in fiscal 2023–a request that would result in an HH-60W inventory of 75, versus the 113 previously planned.
‘The committee is concerned that the Air Force is ignoring the fact that these aircraft are already high demand/low density assets, and that buying fewer will only exacerbate the situation,” SASC said in the bill report. “Since the Air Force has not provided any analysis that would support the planned reduction in inventory, the committee urges the department to restore aircraft quantities originally planned.”
The House’s version of the bill funds the Air Force’s $707 million request, while the House Appropriations Committee would fund the 10 requested HH-60Ws at $694 million. The Senate Appropriations Committee may release its fiscal 2023 defense bill by the end of July.
House appropriators requested that DoD report back within 30 days after the submission of next year’s fiscal 2024 budget on the new National Defense Strategy’s combat search and rescue requirements and the impact of a truncated buy of HH-60Ws on meeting those requirements.
“The Air Force has indicated to the committee its concerns regarding the survivability of the HH–60W in future combat environments and has emphasized that combat search and rescue is a joint mission,” the House Appropriations Committee said in its bill report. “While the committee acknowledges the Air Force’s justifications, it is concerned that the reduction to the CRH fleet could create a shortfall in capacity.”
The SASC bill also would prevent the Air Force from ending the degraded visual environment system (DVES) upgrade program for the HH-60Gs.
“With the announcement of the plan in the budget request to curtail the procurement of the follow-on HH-60W aircraft, Air Force units, both active component and Air National Guard, will be operating legacy aircraft without DVES for the foreseeable future,” the report on the SASC bill said. “The committee finds this situation unacceptable, particularly in view of the Air Force assessment that DVES is a ‘key safety enhancement for rotary wing aircraft and remains a priority.’ Therefore, the committee directs the Secretary of the Air Force to provide the congressional defense committees, not later than February 1, 2023, with a fully developed acquisition plan for procuring DVES upgrades and outfitting the fleet of HH-60W helicopters.”