Jane Edwards
Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Sierra Nevada Corp. have submitted proposals to the U.S. Air Force to compete for a program to replace the service’s UH-1N Huey helicopters that work to secure intercontinental ballistic missile sites, National Defense reported Monday.
The Boeing-Leonardo team and Lockheed’s Sikorsky subsidiary submitted their bids in September for the Huey replacement program that seeks to facilitate the procurement of 84 aircraft.
Boeing proposed the MH-139 helicopter that is based on Leonardo’s AW139 aircraft and works to perform paramilitary, first responder and medical evacuation missions.
Sikorsky offered the HH-60UÂ helicopter as its entry for the competition.
David “Rum†Morgan, director of strategy and business development at Sikorsky, said the UH-1N replacement program has several requirements for emergency security and response, convoy escort and continuity of government missions.
Morgan said those requirements include provision of security to command centers and missile silos and evacuation of government officials in the event of a catastrophe.
Sierra Nevada’s proposal seeks to upgrade UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters to replace Huey with the updated Force Hawk aircraft, National Defense cited an Aviation Week report.
The Air Force expects to award the contract by the end of May 2018 with delivery work to start in 2019, the report added.
