Lockheed Martin and Boeing seek renegotiation of record contract to replace 3,200 Black Hawk and Apache helicopters - Bell wins bid to produce V-280 Valor convertorcraft

Bell won the contract to produce the V-280 Valor helicopters to replace more than 3,000 Black Hawk and Apache helicopters. But not everyone liked it.

Here's What We Know

Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which also participated in the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition, filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). It involves a review of the tender, and a decision must be made within 100 days (until April 7, 2023). A spokesman for the U.S. Army Aviation Program Executive Office said the Army will comply with the requirements of the GAO.

Bell's victory in the bid means the U.S. company will receive $1.3 billion to produce the V-280 Valor convertorcraft. The potential value of the contract could reach $70 billion over the lifetime of the aircraft. The total amount will be influenced by the number of convertoplanes ordered.

The U.S. Army wants to take the V-280 and retire 2,000 Black Hawk helicopters along with 1,200 Apache. How many total convertibles Bell will produce is not known at this time. But it is definitely clear that we are not talking about a 1-to-1 replacement.

As for Lockheed Martin and Boeing, they participated in the FLRAA competition with their joint development called Defiant X. You can see the concept in the image above. Specifications of the helicopter are not specified.

Source: Defense News