By Geoff Fein
One-time presidential helicopter competitors Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Sikorsky [UTX] have teamed up for the Navy’s latest foray to replace the terminated VH-71, according to the two companies.
Additionally, the two companies responded to the Navy’s request for information for a new presidential helicopter (VXX) yesterday.
Under the proposal, Sikorsky will be the lead, basing the new effort on its H-92 airframe. Lockheed Martin will be the major subsystems supplier, likely pulling components from its VH-71 effort.
“As we at Sikorsky looked at how best to serve this mission, we proposed what was viewed as a very compliant aircraft back in the original competition,” Scott Starrett, president of Sikorsky Military Systems, told Defense Daily yesterday.
Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin have been or are partners on other Navy helicopter efforts including the MH-60 R and S.
“What has changed is that Lockheed Martin has been through the missionization aspects of the presidential helicopter over the last few years. We were very attracted to that,” Starrett said. “Technically, we think it provides great reuse of investment on the part of the government and we felt it just made sense. A great airframe with great mission equipment…both of us has experience working the presidential mission and it came together very nicely.”
Just how much of the mission systems left over from the VH-71 program can be used in the H-92 isn’t known yet, said Dan Spoor, Aviation Systems vice president at Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Sensors in Owego, N.Y.
“It’s still open until we see where the customer goes as they finish up their AoA and where they want to go with requirements,” Spoor said. “But there is expected to be a significant amount of reuse of the capabilities, both in terms of some of the subsystems that were developed, software that was used to integrate those subsystems, even the facilities that we brought to bear for [VH-71], can in a large way be used for the program when the customer finalizes which direction they want to go in on some of these requirements.”
In addition to the VXX teaming agreement, Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin also have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore business opportunities involving other Sikorsky programs.