Army to replace Sikorsky’s UH-60 Black Hawk with Bell aircraft

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.”