The U.S. Army has bypassed Stratford-based Sikorsky Aircraft and awarded a $232 million contract to Bell to build a new aircraft that will replace its Sikorsky-built UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter fleet.
According to a DefenseOne.com report, the Army has been using the UH-60 Black Hawk in combat since the 1970s. Bell successfully pitched the V-280, a tiltrotor aircraft similar to the V-22 Osprey, which the Army favored over a Sikorsky-Boeing proposed coaxial helicopter that uses two stack rotors spinning in opposite directions.
The Bell contract is the first installment in what could lead to a $7.1 billion deal for development and production of the new helicopters. However, the contract awarded is for a “virtual prototype” and not an actual aircraft ”“ the initial prototype could come in 2025, but the Army would need to issue more contracts to reach that stage of development.
“It”™s a chance to move to the next step in this vital program,” Doug Bush, the Army acquisition chief, said during a Monday evening call with reporters.
Sikorsky and Boeing have the opportunity to request a debriefing from the Army about the Bell contract, and the companies can file a review request with the U.S. Government Accountability Office to challenge the decision.
“We remain confident Defiant X is the transformational aircraft the U.S. Army requires to accomplish its complex missions today and well into the future,” Sikorsky and Boeing said in a joint statement. “We will evaluate our next steps after reviewing feedback from the Army.”
