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Ars Technica is reporting that the Italian-made MH-139 helicopter beat out two other bids to replace the UH-1 after the programme was put out for bidding.
Just in time to avoid the end of the fiscal year, the US Air Force has finally selected a successor to the aged UH-1 Hueys used by the Air Force's nuclear missile security force: the MH-139, a militarized version of the AgustaWestland AW139 from the Italian aerospace and defense company Leonardo. The MH-139 was a joint bid by Leonardo and Boeing and will be built in the United States at Leonardo's facilities in Philadelphia. The award this morning is for $375 million, covering delivery of the first four helicopters. But the overall program could be worth up to $2.4 billion, delivering up to 84 helicopters, as well as training systems and support equipment.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Wednesday September 26 2018, @10:40PM
Yep. And if you read TFA closer you would have read that it was the UH-1 which no longer fulfills the mission parameters, not the Blackhawk. Since the Blackhawk was in the competition it met the the first round of bid requirements, as it is stupidly wasted money to put up something that can't meet (at least) initial specifications. In fact there were bids for both new UH-60s from Sikorski and also refurbed UH-60s [sncorp.com] with improved capabilities from a different company. There is no mention of the competitors actual bid prices and no information that price was the sole determinant of the winner.
And I'll grant that it was a Congressman who said this and is therefore suspect, but in this article from The Hill from 2016 [rollcall.com] it was suggested that instead of bidding outright they should have just no-bid bought Blackhawks. But re-read this paragraph in particular from TFA:
(Bolding mine).
In fact, the compeitition did not pay off for the American public, since as I point out above the Air Force will ultimately pay more than they could have.
Unless, AC, you have a different document that truly shows that the UH-60 couldn't fulfill the mission when originally it certainly seemed like it could have. (And then.... what does that mean - was bullshit added to the program requirements to make sure the right company won?)
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