WASHINGTON — Sikorsky has selected Rockwell Collins to provide the avionics on its the Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) program it is developing for the US Air Force, the company announced Monday.
Rockwell will provide mission systems, including cockpit-flight and mission-display systems, navigation radios, and the advanced ARC-210 V/UHF communication system, to the Sikorsky-made CRH platform, dubbed the HH-60W.
The CRH program covers 112 new helicopters to replace the service's aging Pave Hawk combat search-and-rescue machines, and could be worth as much as $7 billion over the life of the program.
Despite the Air Force talking openly about the need for competition, a number of potential companies dropped out after seeing the requirements, leaving Sikorsky as the sole bidder for the program. A contract award was given to the helicopter giant in June 2014.
In an exclusive interview with Defense News, Gen. Mark Welsh, US Air Force cChief of Sstaff, identified the CRH program as a "next-generation" of acquisition programs that he plans on funding in the FY17 fiscal 2017 budget.
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Email: amehta@defensenews.com
Twitter: @AaronMehta
Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
