Lockheed challenges Textron’s $7 billion army helicopter win

Bloomberg

Lockheed Martin Corp is protesting the US Army’s choice of Bell Textron Inc to build the service’s replacement for its mainstay Black Hawk assault helicopter by 2030, a potential $7 billion project that includes development and production if all options are awarded.
Lockheed filed its challenge with the Government Accountability Office, which has 100 days to render a decision.
In fiscal 2022, the agency sustained challenges — overturning contract awards — in 13% of the more than 1,600 cases filed, according to its annual report to Congress.
A thorough review and feedback from the Army “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,” Paul Lemmo, president of Lockheed’s Sikorsky unit, said.
The Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft is the first program in the Army’s Future Vertical Lift project to replace both the Black Hawk and Apache helicopters.
It’s seen as a crucial test of how the service can modernise without delay and cost overruns after some high-profile failures over the past 20 years.
The initial development contract is valued at as much as $1.3 billion and expected to take 19 months, according to the Army.
The service had two different approaches to choose from.
Even with the Army loss, Lockheed remains well-positioned because its Sikorsky unit makes the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter for the Marine Corps.