Sikorsky [LMT] will not pursue further legal action regarding the Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) award decision, the company said Tuesday.
The decision follows the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recent denial of Sikorsky’s protest of the FLRAA award to Bell [TXT].
“We are disappointed with the Government Accountability Office decision and remain convinced that our Defiant X offering represented both the best value for the taxpayer and the transformational technology that our warfighters need to execute their complex missions. We value our long-standing partnership with the U.S. Army, and serving their missions remains our top priority,” Sikorsky said in a statement.
Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft design was named the winner of the FLRAA competition on Dec. 5, beating out a Sikorsky and Boeing [BA] team’s Defiant X coaxial rigid rotor helicopter offering for the program to find an eventual UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter replacement (Defense Daily, Dec. 5).
The Army’s initial FLRAA deal to Bell is worth up to $1.3 billion but could total $7 billion if all options are picked up.
A redacted report that followed the GAO’s April 6 decision denying the protest noted, while Sikorsky and Boeing team submitted a proposal that was $3.6 billion lower than eventual winner Bell’s estimated cost, the Army deemed the team’s bid “unacceptable” in critical evaluation areas (Defense Daily, April 14).
A next step for Sikorsky could have included filing a follow-up lawsuit with the Federal Claims Court challenging the protest outcome, potentially leading to another pause for the FLRAA program.
Sikorsky is also competing against Bell for the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program to find a new scout attack helicopter under the Army’s Future Vertical Lift initiative, with plans to fly the first prototypes next year.
“We are focused on driving innovation and delivering the transformational Raider X for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, modernized Black Hawks and future technology critical to mission readiness for the United States and Allied nations,” Sikorsky said in a statement on Tuesday.