Twelve House lawmakers want House Armed Services Committee (HASC) leadership to take steps preventing the Air Force from awarding its UH-1N replacement without competition.

In an April 14 letter to HASC Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the lawmakers ask that the fiscal year 2017 defense authorization bill contain a provision mandating the Air Force compete the UH-1N replacement. In the least, the lawmakers write, the committee should refrain from advocating a sole-source award and, furthermore, deny any reprogramming requests from the Air Force that initiate a sole-source acquisition.

“Perhaps, in the end, the only solution that meets the true requirements is, indeed, a more costly combat aircraft,” the lawmakers wrote. “But only after a fair competition should that decision be acted upon.”

Bill Schuster (R-Pa.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), Robert Brady (D-Pa.), Ryan Costello (R-Pa.), Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.), Frank Lobiondo (R-N.J.), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) and Austin Scott (R-Ga.) are the signees. 

The Air Force’s acquisition strategy for replacing the UH-1N could be one of the most contentious issues of the FY ’17 defense budget season. The Air Force seems to be leaning toward using an Economy Act provision known as a declaration and finding (D&F) to piggyback off an already existing Defense Department contract and, thus, acquire aircraft without competition. Opponents are irate, saying the service knew as soon as the early 2000s that it needed to replace its Hueys that fulfill the nuclear mission and the VIP and continuity of government efforts in the Washington area.

“It is our view that a terrible precedent would be set if services were allowed to justify sole-source acquisitions by citing a sense of urgency due in part to a failure to properly plan and execute against known requirements,” the letter said. “The House Armed Services Committee has been a champion for competition and it should continue to be.”

Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch told a House panel March 16 that the service would purchase 41 helicopters to support the nuclear mission. He said the service could spend between $800 million and $900 million sole-sourcing the nuclear mission aircraft.

The Air Force argues replacing the nuclear UH-1Ns is so urgent, only a sole source-like procurement can supply the aircraft as fast as needed. The lawmakers believe otherwise, saying not only has the Air Force already laid the groundwork for competition, but that a bidder in a competition might offer a far more aggressive schedule.

The UH-60M Black Hawk seems to be the Air Force’s aircraft of choice for the UH-1N replacement. Thirteen House lawmakers wrote HASC and House Appropriations defense subcommittee (HAC-D) leadership in late February, urging them to include language in their upcoming FY ’17 bills directing the Air Force to purchase Black Hawks from the Army’s current block buy grant. The UH-60M is a two-engine aircraft with max cruise speed of 151 knots and 276 nautical miles max range with no reserve.

The UH-60M Black Hawk is developed by Sikorsky, a division of Lockheed Martin [LMT]. The UH-1N is developed by Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT]. Other potential bidders in a potential UH-1N replacement competition include Airbus and Finmeccanica’s AgustaWestland.