Boeing
Boeing Enters Competition For Presidential Helicopter
The Wall Street Journal (6/8, Hodge) reports Boeing on Monday officially said it will compete to win the Presidential helicopter contract. It will purchase the rights for the AgustaWestland AW101, but Boeing Rotorcraft Systems VP Phil Dunford said this will be a "Boeing-built airplane." EADS criticized the deal, saying it expected Boeing would stop protesting its entry into the Air Force aerial tanker competition after it made this deal with a subsidiary of Italy's Finmeccanica. Bloomberg News (6/8, Ratnam) notes the Boeing bid "may include some parts made outside the U.S."
The Danbury (CT) News Times (6/8, Varnon) reports, "Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.'s toughest rival for the VXX U.S. presidential helicopter contest is back in the game after the Boeing Co. secured the license for Italy-based AgustaWestland's AW101 helicopter." Lockheed Martin has partnered with Sikorsky for its bid. Raymond Jaworowski, an analyst with Forecast International, "said this sets up a formidable contest between the major players." Meanwhile, Boeing Rotorcraft spokesperson Andrew Lee "said Boeing is going to offer three helicopters to the Navy for the contract. It's going with what is now being called the Boeing 101, the Bell-Boeing Osprey and Bell's Chinook. All three are unique helicopters." The Elmira Star-Gazette (6/8, Nguyen), Philadelphia Business Journal (6/8, Key), Wichita Business Journal (6/8, McCoy), and Financial Times (6/8, Pfeifer) also cover the story.
