Sikorsky won’t sue over lost $70bn deal to replace 3,200 Apache and Black Hawk helicopters
Bell has won a tender to produce the V-280 Valor convertible helicopter for the US Army, which needs the next-generation Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) helicopter. Lockheed Martin and Boeing submitted a complaint, but it was rejected. Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, said it has no plans to go to court.
Here’s What We Know
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) dismissed a complaint in which Lockheed Martin and Boeing claimed that their Defiant X helicopter was a more suitable and profitable offering for the US Army. Sikorsky representatives still believe that their development is superior to that of a competitor, but they do not plan to go to court.
As for the FLAAR project, it aims to replace 3,200 Apache and Black Hawk helicopters. Bell will get $1.3 billion to develop the V-280 Valor helicopter and $7 billion to launch small-scale production. The total cost of the project could reach $70bn.
