CONNECTICUT, USA — Connecticut's Congressional delegation is looking for details as to why the U.S. Army rejected a bid by Lockheed-Martin’s Sikorsky to build long-range assault aircraft.
They're joining Sikorsky, who is requesting a review of the decision.
In a statement released on Dec. 28, 2022, Sikorsky and Boeing filed a complaint with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the Army’s decision on the future long-range assault aircraft contract announced earlier last month.
The U.S. Army chose Textron-owned Bell’s aircraft over the DEFIANT X, developed by Boeing and Sikorsky. The contract is worth a reported $1.3 billion.
Sikorski has been making the U.S. Army’s fleet of Black Hawk helicopters for nearly 40 years.
In a statement when it was announced, the Army called the decision-making process “deliberate and disciplined.”
Connecticut leaders called the Army’s decision “disappointing.”
Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement that he fully supported Sikorsky’s decision to request an independent review regarding how the Army’s decision was conducted.
“I remain confident that Sikorsky is the best and most capable company to deliver this next generation aircraft to the U.S. Army and that Connecticut’s exceptionally skilled workforce is the best training in the country to manufacture this aircraft,” Lamont said. “A thorough evaluation of the process and each of the proposals is in the best interests of the military and the American taxpayers.”
Read the full congressional letter below:
Dear Secretary Wormuth:
We want to thank you for your stewardship and continued dedication to the Department of the Army, as well as to our Soldiers, Army Civilians, and their families.
We are writing regarding Sikorsky’s bid and the subsequent Government Accountability Office (GAO) protest to the award for the Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. As you may be aware, there has been a considerable amount of confusion and valid criticism surrounding the award. It is our understanding that Sikorsky’s bid for FLRAA was significantly superior in terms of cost, but that due to a subjective unsatisfactory evaluation on a single criteria, Sikorsky’s bid was rejected and never fully evaluated.
The members of the Connecticut Congressional Delegation have approached the Army’s leadership on multiple occasions to discuss the matter. To date, the Army has rejected any request for a substantive briefing in direct violation of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 3.104-4 and falsely claimed that a potential or pending GAO protest precludes timely oversight from the United States Congress. Furthermore, the Department of the Army has cited no statutory basis for withholding information from Congress and the GAO has confirmed that no part of the pending protest prevents the Army from briefing Members of Congress.
We believe it is imperative that the Army’s procurement process for the FLRAA program is fair, transparent, and most importantly in the best interests of the American taxpayer. We therefore insist that your Department provide us with a detailed briefing on the Army’s evaluation and selection decision for FLRAA as soon as possible. It is simply unacceptable for the Army to continue to thwart our oversight responsibilities as members of Congress that are mandated in the U.S. Constitution.
We appreciate your timely attention to this important matter and look forward to your response.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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