NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.–The Navy is awarding the contract for the next presidential helicopter in the weeks ahead, despite there being only one publicly known bidder in the competition.
Capt. Dean Peters, the head of the presidential helicopter program office at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), said the service is concluding the process and will award the contract in May.
“We are in the final stages of the approval process and the contract process and hope to be able to make an announcement in a few weeks,” Peters told reporters at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space exposition just outside Washington.
Sikorsky a division of United Technologies [UTX], is the only company known to have bid on the VXX program with its VH-92 airframe along with systems integrator Lockheed Martin [LMT].
AgustaWestland, a unit of Italy’s Finmeccanica that had partnered with Northrop Grumman [NOC], had previously said it would offer its AW101 airframe, but as the deadline for submitting proposal neared last summer, the company said it would not participate in the competition.
Boeing [BA], which was weighing whether to bid with its H-47 Chinook or the V-22 Osprey in partnership with Bell Helicopter, a Textron [TXT] company, also said it would not submit an offer. Both companies suggested the Navy’s requirements seemed favorable to Sikorsky.
Peters, noting the VXX program was still in the competitive phase, would not comment on the process or provide the number or identity of participating companies. He said, however, the Navy will follow the rules when it comes to selecting a winner and ensure the government gets the right price.
“There are lots of rules in place associated with the number of bidders, and we will follow those procedures regardless of the number of bidders,” Peters said. “And those procedures guarantee that the government will get a fair and reasonable price for the aircraft.”
The request for proposals was issued in May 2013, and marked the second attempt by the Pentagon to replace the current fleet of VH-3 Sea Kings and smaller VH-60 Whitehawks that have been used by the Marine Corps to ferry presidents for decades under the call name “Marine One.” Both were built by Sikorsky.
Then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates canceled the earlier effort in 2009 after costs ballooned. Lockheed Martin and AugustaWestland had won the award in that unsuccessful program, before Lockheed Martin decided to switch teams and join up with Sikorsky for the current one.