Army and Navy Award Joint Contract to Sikorsky for 102 New Helicopters

(Hartford, CT) – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued a statement praising the recent announcement by the United States Army and Navy that they have jointly continued a multi-year $8.4 billion contract with Sikorsky to purchase an additional 102 helicopters.  The Army will receive 65 helicopters—including 41 UH-60 Blackhawk models and 24 HH-60M platforms—at a cost of $771 million.  The Navy has agreed to purchase 37 MH-60 helicopters for approximately $535 million. 

“I am extremely pleased that the Army and Navy have jointly continued their multi-year contract for 102 additional Sikorsky helicopters for this year.  These helicopters continue to play a critical role in maintaining our national security—whether as logistics carriers, medical evacuation platforms or to maintain anti-submarine capabilities.  I have worked closely with the Navy to ensure their recognition of the urgent, life-saving need for these helicopters, even in the face of challenging financial times and will continue to do so in the coming fiscal year. I know that Sikorsky and its highly-skilled Connecticut workforce will again deliver on time and on budget, providing our warfighters the most capable and modern equipment available,” Blumenthal said.

Earlier this year, the Navy had initially announced plans to drop the purchase of 29 MH-60R helicopters for the fiscal year 2016 portion of this multi-year procurement.  As chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Air-Land Subcommittee, Blumenthal repeatedly took issue with Navy leadership about the potential impact of that decision on military readiness.  In response to Senator Blumenthal’s questions, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley admitted that, “The capabilities that the MH-60R brings to anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance will continue to be vital requirements...”  Further, Senator Blumenthal has expressed outrage that the Navy’s early termination of the already-awarded contract would have resulted in a $250 million termination fee—without any benefit to the Navy’s operational capacity.  As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Blumenthal will continue to work with the Navy to ensure that the MH-60R multi-year contract is fully funded for fiscal year 2016.