CT's Congressional Delegation Disappointed By Sikorsky’s Bid Denial

STRATFORD, CT — Last week, Stratford-based defense contractor Sikorsky reportedly lost out on a challenge over its bid to make Future Long Range Assault Aircraft for the United States Army, and Connecticut's Congressional delegation, all Democrats, is expressing its disappointment.

The Army’s order for the new military helicopter, its largest helicopter procurement in decades, is set to replace thousands of Black Hawk attack aircraft, and the deal is worth more than $1 billion. Bell Aircraft won the contract.

In a joint statement, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (3rd District), U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, Congressman John Larson (1st District), Congressman Joe Courtney (2nd District), Congressman Jim Himes (4th District), and Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (5th District) said the following about the Government Accountability Office’s report recommending that the government uphold the Army’s decision to reject Sikorsky’s bid on the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft.

"We are deeply disappointed in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) announcement [Thursday] that it would deny Sikorsky’s bid protest challenging the Army’s recent award on the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA)," the delegation said. "Sikorsky has the world’s greatest workforce when it comes to vertical lift aircraft and decades of proven results when it comes to supplying the U.S. Armed Forces and militaries across the globe with safe dependable military and commercial birds. We have been working relentlessly to relay this to the Army to no avail, but we will not end our efforts as a result of this misguided decision."

Sikorsky and Boeing, its partner in the bid, proposed to make the Defiant X, a coaxial rotor blade aircraft, but Bell's tiltrotor aircraft, the Valor, won the bid.

Both Sikorsky and Boeing filed protests over the denial, but the Government Accountability Office upheld the Army's decision to reject the bid, in part, because the GAO said Sikorsky "failed to provide the level of architectural detail required," reported Defense News.

"Since the start, we have said that the public, Members of Congress, and the workers at Sikorsky are entitled to a robust and fair process," the Connecticut delegation said. "Despite numerous attempts beginning in December 2022 to engage directly with the Army, we as Members of Congress have still not been given answers on how the Army came to their decision on FLRAA. We have a responsibility to conduct oversight and ensure the proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Our investments must be smart. We need answers as to why and how the Army made this decision."

The delegation added, "Sikorsky makes the best helicopters in the world and is one of the largest employers in Connecticut. We will work to uncover the Army’s process for making this decision and fight to keep jobs here in Connecticut."

In a separate statement, Murphy, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, also said the following:

"I am deeply disappointed in the GAO’s decision to deny Sikorsky’s protest of the FLRAA award. For the past four months, the Army has stonewalled every request for a substantive briefing on this contract, and I still have many unanswered questions. As a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I’m going to make sure Congress fulfills its constitutional obligation to be a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars. That duty includes finally getting answers about why this contract leaves Americans on the hook for an overpriced and inferior tiltrotor that could put our men and women in uniform at risk."