Sikorsky, Boeing Protest U.S. Army’s Choosing of Bell V-280 as Black Hawk Replacement

Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky filed a formal protest today asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the U.S. Army’s decision on the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) contract.

Sikorksy’s partner Boeing said it supports the protest asking the GAO to review the Army’s decision.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Army selected V-280 Valor tilt-rotor aircraft to replace its fleet of Black Hawk choppers.

As per reports, the initial contract is worth $232 million, and the initial production of helicopters could be worth $7.1 billion. Ultimately, the contract is potentially worth around $70 billion over the years, the Army told reporters on Monday evening.

This is the largest helicopter award in 40 years. The new Bell rotorcraft will replace roughly 2,000 Black Hawks and around 1,200 Apaches around 2030.

“Based on a thorough review of the information and feedback provided by the Army, Lockheed Martin Sikorsky, on behalf of Team DEFIANT, is challenging the FLRAA decision. The data and discussions lead us to believe the proposals were not consistently evaluated to deliver the best value in the interest of the Army, our Soldiers and American taxpayers. The critical importance of the FLRAA mission to the Army and our nation requires the most capable, affordable and lowest-risk solution. We remain confident DEFIANT X is the transformational aircraft the Army requires to accomplish its complex missions today and well into the future,” Lockheed Martin said in an official release.