American-made, US-built helicopter to replace US Air Force Hueys

Almost two decades after WE. The air force has begun trying to replace the Vietnamese-era helicopters that patrol the missile fields and stand ready to evacuate senior officials, the service announced Monday that it had made a first order of MH-139 helicopters with the Boeing team and the Italian defense firm Leonardo.

Today's contract awards $ 375 million to top four MH-139s, the first batch of what should be an $ 84 billion program worth $ 2.38 billion. The deal is structured in the form of a fixed-price firm contract, which means that the company, not the government, would face cost overruns.

Air Force officials estimated that the program was initially estimated at $ 4.1 billion. "Strong competition has lowered program costs, saving taxpayers $ 1.7 billion," Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said in a statement.

The selection is a surprise for Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky, whose venerable Black Hawk has long been considered the favorite. the MH-139 also beat an offer from Sierra Nevada, which proposed to acquire, revise and update WE. Black Hawks of the army.

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This is a major victory for Leonardo, who has tried to expand his WE. the cases led by former Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn. Last year, Boeing teamed up with Leonardo – formerly AgustaWestland – from Finmeccanica – to present a militarized version of the AW-139. The companies plan to build helicopters at a Leonardo factory in northeast Philadelphia.

The new helicopters will protect intercontinental ballistic missile fields in North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. They will also be ready to evacuate senior government officials and congressmen from Washington, DC, in a national emergency. In total, the air force plans to buy 84 new helicopters.

Helicopters on the missile field carry security teams around hundreds of intercontinental ballistic missiles in underground silos. They also escort armored convoys carrying missiles between silos and military bases for maintenance. Commanders were quick to point out that the Huey must land for refueling stops because it does not have the range needed to cross the vast missile fields.

Calls to replace the Huey began after September 11, 2001, when the WE. the army began to strengthen the security of its facilities. The Air Force initially planned to purchase a single type of helicopter to replace its Hueys and search and rescue system. HH-60G Pave Hawks, but soon split the project into two separate efforts. (The HHThe replacement program for the under-60s was slowed by various problems between 2006 and 2009, and the list of priorities for the acquisition of the Air Force collapsed and resulted in 2014 in an order of 114 Sikorsky. CRH-60s.)

It took more time for the air force to return to Huey's replacement, who finally came first after the plane had fought a nuclear exercise in 2015, CQ reported. At first it seemed that the air force leaders would hand over the job to the H-60, but in 2016 they decided to hold a competition.

In August, General John Hyten, who oversees the nuclear weapons of the army WE. Strategic Command, stressed the need for new helicopters.

"We are going to have a new helicopter in the missile fields, "said Hyten. "We're going to have a new helicopter if I have to die trying or if I have to kill someone to do it."

It is rare for a European aircraft to stand out from an American plane in a Pentagon competition, especially for multi-billion contracts. In 2006, the army chose Airbus UH-72 Lakota as a light utility helicopter, in part because it has allowed the European company to open a production plant for military and commercial helicopters in Mississippi.

In addition, WE. The Navy chose an AgustaWestland model for its new Marine One helicopter, but this contract was eventually canceled.