..... quando si sente il profumo dei soldi .....
DATE: 19/04/10
SOURCE: Flight International
Sikorsky, Lockheed join forces for revamped Marine One deal
By Stephen Trimble
Sikorsky has allied with previous rival Lockheed Martin to partner for a revamped competition for the prized Marine One helicopter contract.
A Lockheed source confirms that the agreement calls for Sikorsky to lead the team as prime contractor, with Lockheed to fill the role of major systems supplier.
The new teaming agreement indicates that Lockheed has severed its previous partnership on the Marine One/VXX contest with Finmeccanica company AgustaWestland. The US Navy terminated a contract to buy Lockheed/AgustaWestland VH-71As last June, despite having already spent $3.2 billion on the development of the AW101.
In February, USN officials, who are managing the competition on behalf of the US Marine Corps, released a request for information to restart the VXX bidding process. The document solicited industry's feedback to inform a pending analysis of alternatives.
The USMC currently operates a fleet of 11 Sikorsky VH-3Ds and eight Sikorsky VH-60s.
Sikorsky offered its S-92-based VH-92 for the previous VXX competition.
Fonte: Ares
A Defense Technology Blog (AW&ST)
Sikorsky + Lockheed Martin = Presidential Helo?
Posted by Bettina Chavanne at 4/18/2010 9:17 PM CDT
Once bitter industrial enemies, Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky Aircraft have now joined forces and are expected to announce they will partner to bid on the once and future U.S. presidential replacement helicopter program. The story was confirmed by a Lockheed Martin spokesperson late tonight.
Sikorsky lost the bid for the then-VXX presidential helo in 2005 and has made no secret of its desire to propose its platform again. And there is no love lost between Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland, the partnership that won the first attempt to replace the aging Marine One fleet.
Whether Sikorsky will offer its S-92 platform, where the aircraft will be built and where integration will occur - as well as how Lockheed Martin (which originally pitched Agusta's EH-101 as a far less-expensive option than the S-92) will reconfigure its marketing pitch - are all questions that remain to be addressed.
In what became a preview of the heated USAF tanker debate, the VXX competition touched on everything from who had the better platform to the politics of supporting allies with the result of foreign providers flying the president of the United States. Above all, there were U.S. jobs at stake. In the end, the VH-71 program was cancelled by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and President Barack Obama last year for numerous reasons.
Photo: The Presidential Helo that never was. The Lockheed-AgustaWestland VH-71 at Lockheed's facility in Owego, N.Y. Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin.
Fonte: AviationWeek.com
Lockheed, Sikorsky Team For Presidential Helo
By Bettina H. Chavanne (Apr 19, 2010)
Sikorsky Aircraft and Lockheed Martin this morning said they are teaming to compete for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ renewed VXX Presidential Helicopter program – a reversal of their heated competition six years that ended in a canceled program and showcase example of acquisition problems.
The companies said that Sikorsky would be the prime contractor and that they would bid a Sikorsky H-92 helicopter with integrated systems by Lockheed for the “Marine One” mission. The companies said they have responded to the Pentagon’s request for information from industry.
The news leaked out late April 18 – confirmed by Aviation Week then – and executives are offering more information today. According to a prepared statement, Sikorsky – a United Technologies company – and Lockheed also have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore business opportunities involving other Sikorsky programs, in addition to the VXX teaming agreement.
The last VXX competition became a heated affair, with presidential-lift incumbent Sikorsky of Connecticut facing a transatlantic juggernaut of Lockheed and AgustaWestland. But the latter two companies have apparently gone their separate ways since the 2009 cancellation of the erstwhile VH-71 contract.
Now Lockheed and Sikorsky are promoting a history of collaboration. “The companies have extensive experience working together during four decades developing, delivering and supporting 400 operational SH-60B and MH-60R/S maritime helicopters to the U.S. Navy,” the joint statement said.
Rabbia a parte ..... mi ha fatto venire in mente la celebre battuta pronunciata da Alberto Sordi nel film "Tutti a casa" .....
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