The Air Force wants to will get rid of the its Vietnam-era UH-1N helicopters used to protect its nuclear missile fields. The fiscal 2016 budget proposal calls for by buying and upgrading Army UH-60 Black Hawks to replace them.use in protecting its nuclear missile fields.
The Air Force has 62 UH-1N Iroquois helicopters in use by security forces in Global Strike Command to airlift emergency security forces and provide surveillance of nuclear weapons convoys at its three missile bases. The helicopters have been in service since 1970 and are outdated, Air Force officials have said.
“The Hueys have served us very well,” said Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. “Unfortunately they don’t meet any of our speed, payload or survivability requirements.
“We are flying 1969 helicopters.”
The service’s fiscal 2016 budget request, released Feb. 2, states that the Air Force would will purchase U.S. Army UH-60A Black Hawks, and upgrades them to the UH-60L through existing government contracts. The upgrades include more powerful engines and an automatic flight control system.
The replacement process would kick off in fiscal 2016 with an initial $2.5 $2.456 million to set up an office for the program.
The service “is currently evaluating acquisition alternatives and has not yet approved an acquisition strategy,” the Air Force said in a statement on the budget plan. “FY16 funding provides for program office standup and activities. The [five-year] funding profile will be refined once the program office has developed an approved acquisition strategy and an official program office estimate.”
The five-year plan includes $52 million in fiscal 2017, $127.5 million in 2018, $127.4 million in 2019 and $127.1 million in 2020, with future costs to be determined.
