Boeing is proposing three kinds of rotorcraft to the Navy to be the VXX, the next Presidential helicopter, says Marco Di Gabrielle, Boeing’s director of international helicopter business development. Speaking Wednesday at a media briefing in Arlington, Va., Di Gabrielle said the company responded in June to the Navy’s VXX request for information with concepts including the H-47 Chinook, V-22 Osprey and Boeing 101, to provide “a very diverse range of options” for the requirement. Boeing will choose one to offer in the contest once the Navy refines its needs, he said. Boeing in June acquired the rights to the “101” medium-lift helicopter from AgustaWestland. Di Gabrielle said the 101 “rounds out the portfolio” of choppers Boeing can offer the US domestic market. It will be interesting to see what role the Boeing 101 plays in the Air Force’s forthcoming contest for a platform to replace its aging HH-60G rescue helicopters as well.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
