On September 24, Boeing and Leonardo signed a contract worth US $ 2.38 billion for the supply of 84 MH-139 helicopters to the US Air Force to replace the UH-1N type helicopters in service.
The new technology is the military version of the commercial helicopter AW139, produced at the plant in Philadelphia.
In the course of the competition, the winners bypassed Lockheed Martin Sicorsky and Sierra Nevada Corp., who spoke in cooperation, who suggested, as military experts believed, that the UH-60 Black Hawk multipurpose helicopter had a higher chance of winning.
Under the terms of the agreement, the first four MH-139 will cost the US Air Force $ 375 million. The start of deliveries is scheduled for 2021.
The Pentagon was initially ready to spend about $ 4.1 billion to purchase a batch of helicopters, so the military leadership expressed satisfaction with the opportunity to save about $ 1.7 billion.
"The tender allowed us to significantly reduce the cost of the contract, saving $ 1.7 billion in taxpayers," said US Air Force Secretary H. Wilson.
The crew of the helicopter MH-139 consists of two people. The machine is capable of carrying up to nine armed personnel. Cruising speed is 250 km / h, the maximum range without refueling - 420 km.
The US command is planning to use the acquired helicopters to provide security in the areas where the intercontinental ballistic missile silo launchers are deployed, as well as to transport personnel, including the leadership of the national armed forces.
