Following the US$78.2 million contract to develop Environmental Control System (ECS) and proving its worth as a reliable manufacturer for the U.S. forces, the Chicago-based Boeing has once again emerged with another $15 billion popular contract for 141 Air Force search-and-rescue helicopters, which will replace the Air Force’s fleet of HH-60 Pave Hawks, with besting competitors, Lockheed Martin Corp. and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp, in the fray.
Boeing will produce the CH-47 Chinook, already used by the military for more than 50 years, following a strategy adopted by the U.S. government for two high-profile programs, NASA’s space-vehicle program and border-security initiative, in recent months.
The new-fangled choppers would fly higher, withstand scorching temperatures, perform longer missions, seize additional people, weight and hit the skies faster than ever before.The contract will commence with a $712 million deal, which will later progress gradually when Boeing starts constructing the aircraft.
After the disappointing loss, few questions have been raised by the Bethesda-based Lockheed as well as the majority of analysts over the dominance of Boeing.
Sue C. Payton, the assistant Air Force secretary intended for acquisition, asserted in an interview,
We are not trying to go put the most elegant grand solution.We are going out with what we can do that will vastly improve what we have today in HH-60 helicopters.
Via: washingtonpost
