H-53K's for the Navy?

[helolumpy]

At NHA in San Diego, the question of new 53's got asked during the Flag Panel. The 'official' answer was that based on the present life expectancy of the MH-53E in service the Navy has until 2012 to make a call on whether the MH-60S will be able to handle the mission of if they'll have to buy new MH-53's (a varient was not mentioned).
So the Navy knows that this issue is going to have to be addressed but it won't be until 2012 before the Navy has to make a decision; so don't expect a decision before that since any decision will involve committing funding towards.

There is no answer for the heavy lift VOD mission they having been doing for years.
One answer may be the Osprey. The Navy agreed to by 48 Osprey's to keep the unit cost down so the Marines can get all they needed. ADM Mullen (CNO at the time) ask Boeing to do a study on the role the Osprey could be used in the Navy. One possible answer was a replacement for both the C-2 and the MH-53E. It can carry about 80% of what a COD can, it can sling load and can go to Amphibs.

 

[HeyJoe]

One answer may be the Osprey. The Navy agreed to by 48 Osprey's to keep the unit cost down so the Marines can get all they needed. ADM Mullen (CNO at the time) ask Boeing to do a study on the role the Osprey could be used in the Navy. One possible answer was a replacement for both the C-2 and the MH-53E. It can carry about 80% of what a COD can, it can sling load and can go to Amphibs.

As to agreeing...well, that was a placeholder in briefings that allowed unit price to be lower over life of program and procurement was "outside the FYDP" (and still is) so it is NOT BINDING. The whole house of cards of the Future Year Defense Plan (6 years in an even FY) gets knocked down and rebuilt EVERY year. Anything "outside" the FYDP (right now, POM 12 is getting built so FY2018+ is pure conjecture and anybody's bet). Even moreso, Congress only allocates the first year of the FYDP so the following year, anything beyond the next year can be totally revamped (only exception is advent of Multi-year procurement, but that's another story for another thread). And if you talk to a flag officer in N88 (or N2/N6 if your program has an "E" designation; E-2, E-6, etc. or is unmanned/ISR centric), they'll show you their empty pockets. What I'm saying is don't expect any "new" requirements to get shoehorned into FYDP. They going through enough pain holding on to what they programmed for already.

*It's like Super Hornet briefings that showed many more than Navy needed (assuming Marines would eventually cave) so numbers looked good. Ask a Marine if they would consider Supers (warning: stay out of frag pattern).