Vertical Flight

The Army is preparing to augment its fleet of Lakota training helicopters, issuing a solicitation in advance of a possible sole-source procurement.

Key lawmakers are pumping the brakes on a potentially precedent-setting Navy proposal to negotiate a multiyear procurement contract that extends over seven years -- tripping up Pentagon plans with Bell-Boeing to consolidate remaining MV-22 Osprey purchases in a single contract beginning in fiscal year 2018.

Lawmakers dropped a provision from the fiscal year 2018 defense policy bill that would have allowed the defense secretary to let the Air Force issue a sole-source procurement contract instead of continuing an open competition to replace the Bell UH-1N helicopter.

The fiscal year 2018 defense policy bill agreed to by House and Senate authorizers approves a seven-year V-22 Osprey multiyear procurement contract with a caveat -- the aircraft must include common configuration improvements.

Sikorsky passed a critical design review for its Combat Rescue Helicopter's training systems last month, allowing the program to progress to assembly, test and evaluation, the company announced this week.

The commander of the first combat aviation brigade to deploy to Europe as part of a heel-to-toe rotation of forces says the readiness gained there means the CAB "should be one of the first . . . the Army calls if they need one."

Army service members will train the first Afghan Air Force pilots to fly their new Black Hawk helicopters, but the training will eventually be supported by contractors as well, according to the head of Army security assistance.

Sierra Nevada Corp. is offering the UH-60L Force Hawk, a modernized Black Hawk variant, in the Air Force's competition to replace its aging Bell UH-1N helicopters.

Lockheed Martin anticipates later this month the Navy will award it a contract to begin producing engineering development models of electronic warfare pods for the service's fleet of MH-60 Seahawk helicopters, according to a company executive.