Originally Posted by
Lucifer Morningstar
Perhaps some lateral thinking is required.
LH are obviously going hard for NMH, but everything I read indicates that the AW149 is simply not fit for purpose where NMH is concerned. The Blackhawk seems to be the best contender of the available options in terms of lift, size, and proven battlefield capability, but it is not built in the UK. 'Social value' will undoubtedly play a significant part in the assessment criteria and scoring of the 3 likely bids.
What are the chances that LH decide to 'no-bid' rather than bidding and losing, and then partner with Sikorsky and offer to build the NMH Blackhawks at Yeovil? I appreciate it sounds rather far fetched, but it gets LH a slice of the pie, and gives Sikorsky the social value piece that they currently lack. I know there are multiple 'devil in the detail' issues with this, but if Airbus can partner with Boeing for NMH, why not LH and Sikorsky?