WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Army on Monday awarded the contract for its next-generation helicopter to Textron Inc’s Bell unit, ending a years-long competition for the technology that will replace the Black Hawk utility helicopter.
The Army’s “Future Vertical Lift” competition is aimed at finding a replacement as the Army looks to retire more than 2,000 medium-class UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters built by Sikorsky since the 1970s.
“The thoughtful and disciplined execution of the FLRAA (Future Long Range Assault Aircraft) program strategy will deliver the transformational capabilities we need to support the Joint force, strengthen deterrence and win in multi-domain operations,” said Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the army for acquisition, logistics, and technology.
Textron’s shares rose about 8.5% in trading after the bell on the news.
(Reporting by Mike Stone and Idrees Ali; Editing by Mark Porter and Marguerita Choy)
