THE AMBITIONS of McDonnell Douglas and Sikorsky to sell, respectively, the AH-64 Apache and UH-60 to the US Marine Corps have been dealt a serious blow by a US Department of Defense (DoD) report recommending that upgrading the USMC's existing fleet is the most cost-effective approach.
The DoD study concludes that proposed upgrades to Bell Helicopter Textron's AH-1W attack and UH-1N light utility helicopters will be more cost-effective than the USMC procurement of marinised US Army AH-64D Longbow Apache gunships and UH-60 Black Hawk transports.
The report, prepared by William Lynn, the Pentagon's programme analysis and evaluation director, concludes that the UH-1N upgrade is "-the least costly option and fulfils the stated mission requirements of the Marine Corps utility-helicopter mission".
Source: Flight International
