I understand this issue might come across as a major: "event horizon" by those directly/indirectly involved in the helicopter industry.
But this is just another example of political ping pong between nations, designed to encourage a collaborative front.
It could be :
cars
landing slots
oil quotas
wheat quotas
intelligence
military hardware
Look at the big picture, a cab built by 'foreigners' for the president is a big gesture by the yanks for very little hardship, I would suggest.
IF it is a thank you for IRAQ, then perhaps we should all be grateful - compare airframes to body counts, because there'd be a lot more dead yanks out there if the brits/italians weren't there.
There'll be lots more like this...JSF / cruise missile etc.....