A bipartisan coalition of senators raised questions on Monday about the use of Vietnam-era Huey helicopters to patrol intercontinental ballistic missile sites across the country, noting that replacement helicopters for a handful of Air Force bases were recently delayed.
In a letter to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, the senators noted that the Huey helicopters are currently operating on national security waivers because they are unable to meet speed, range, payload, armament and survivability requirements. However, the Air Force and the Government Accountability Office delayed the scheduled arrival of replacement helicopters at Malmstrom, Minot, and F.E. Warren Air Force bases.
U.S. Sens. Jon Tester (R-MT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), John Hoeven (R-SD), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Mike Enzi (R-WY) noted that $288 million had been set aside for research, development, testing, and evaluation of the Huey replacement program. That is in addition to “significant military construction funding and an additional $8.88 million for continued service life extension program upgrades” in fiscal year 2019, the senators added.
“We have increasing concerns about the timeline for the program replacement of the Huey helicopter fleet,” the letter stated. “At a time when our nation is upgrading our nuclear arsenal due to the increased global threats and near peer adversaries, we cannot afford to continue delaying additional capabilities to secure our ICBM fields.”
The senators concluded that Congress needs “a clear understanding” of the Air Force’s ability to execute the replacement program.