Newport News shipyard wins $2.2 billion contract for Columbia-class submarine modules

On the same subject

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  September 12, 2023 | International, Aerospace

  Lockheed touts local links in Black Hawk-based helicopter pitch to UK

  Three contenders have wasted no time dissing their rivals’ industrial offers while talking up the U.K. credentials of their own.

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  July 19, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  Contract award for US Air Force’s Huey replacement helicopter at risk of delay until FY20

  By: Valerie Insinna FARNBOROUGH, England — The U.S. Air Force's contract for a replacement to the UH-1N Huey helicopter could be delayed until fiscal 2020 unless Congress adds another $83.4 million to the program. According to a reprogramming request sent by the Defense Department to Congress, the UH-1N replacement effort is currently considered a “high risk” program due to a pre-award protest by competitor Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, which was dismissed in May. The protest had temporarily put a hold source selection, deferring a contract planned for June to September. Current funds would expire at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, meaning that if an award was further delayed it would take until FY20 to inject more money to continue on with the program, the request stated. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson acknowledged in May that the contract could be awarded sometime this fall. “We're going to try and not let that slip too much because we know we need to get the Hueys replaced, but we did get a delay,” she had said. The Air Force's aging UH-1Ns are most well-known for the role they play defending nuclear missile sites, and it is the importance of this mission that has led to criticism from leaders in Congress and in the U.S. military — including U.S. Strategic Command head Gen. John Hyten — who have said the service needs to move more quickly to procure new helicopters. Three companies are competing for the Huey replacement award, with the first of a total of 84 new armored helicopters expected for delivery as early as 2020 — although if a contract is delayed until FY20 it seems likely that fielding will not be possible for another couple of years. Sikorsky is offering the HH-60U, a version of its UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with modifications like a rescue hoist and electro-optical sensor. Sierra Nevada Corp. has pitched a modernized, life-extended version of used Army UH-60L aircraft that its calling “Sierra Force.” Meanwhile, Boeing and Leonardo are partnering on the MH-139, a militarized version of the Italian firm's civilian AW139 helicopter. Boeing submitted the final proposal for the aircraft Tuesday, it confirmed in a statement. “The Boeing MH-139 is capable, affordable, and ready to serve the United States Air Force's urgent UH-1N replacement needs,” the company said. "With a hot production line in Philadelphia, we are well-positioned to meet the USAF's delivery requirements for fielding this vital platform as soon as possible.” While the requirements for the helicopter were not made public, the Air Force has specified nine fully loaded troops without needing to be refueled for an endurance of at least 225 nautical miles. They also should be able to fly three hours while maintaining a 135-knot cruise speed. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/07/18/contract-award-for-air-forces-huey-replacement-helicopter-at-risk-of-delay-until-fy20

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  January 14, 2021 | International, Aerospace

  Boeing Wins $1.6 Billion U.S. Air Force KC-46 Order

  Lee Hudson January 13, 2021 The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $1.6 billion contract modification for 12 KC-46A tanker aircraft and anticipates the work will wrap up in April 2023. The order for 12 aircraft is the sixth production lot, which means Boeing is now on contract for 79 KC-46As. The first KC-46 was delivered to the Air Force in January 2019. The funding for the Lot 6 deal is from the fiscal 2020 budget. The company is still awaiting a contract modification for 15 aircraft that are funded in fiscal 2021. “The investments Boeing is making in the KC-46 today will benefit generations of service members,” Jamie Burgess, Boeing KC-46 tanker vice president and program manager, said in a Jan. 12 statement. “I believe the partnership between Boeing and the Air Force will also produce additional KC-46 innovations that will carry the warfighter well into the future.” This year will mark a major decision point for the program because the Air Force expects to decide on a new projection method for the remote vision system (RVS), a technology akin to virtual or augmented reality. To correct a “rubber-sheeting” effect that distorts the image on a visual display used by the boom operator during refueling operations, the Air Force is considering a liquid-crystal display screen or a “collimated mirror design” for the RVS projection method. Once a projection design is selected, a laboratory will build a system to test each new component. Doing ground testing will give the team confidence before installing the new equipment on the actual aircraft. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/boeing-wins-16-billion-us-air-force-kc-46-order?elq2=57a289d9235b4bbf82af3324d06072f1