THE US BORDER Patrol has ordered 45 Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems)MD600Ns in a deal worth almost $71 million.
The aircraft will replace the agency's fleet of Hughes OH-6A helicopters, with deliveries of nine MD600Ns a year starting n 1998.
The eight-seat, single-turbine MD600N was selected over the Bell 407 after a fly-off evaluation. A "very disappointed" Bell believes that its bid was undercut substantially by Boeing, despite the list price of the MD600N being slightly higher than that of the 407.
American Eurocopter was forced to withdraw an offer of EC120s when it was barred from bidding for US Government contracts after a dispute over a helicopter sale to Israel, which resulted in the company agreeing to pay almost $25 million in fines.
The Mesa, Arizona-based Boeing division says that the Border Patrol deal marks the first sale to the US Government of helicopters with its NOTAR no-tail-rotor anti-torque system, which reduces noise. This will reduce detectability during surveillance operations.
Source: Flight International
