Nick,
I think you're a little harsh to say it was merciful to not have the 210/Huey. Whe don't you say that about the CH47, its just as old and will be in service a lot longer. How, many other nine pax aircraft could you find for 3 mil or less? The UH145, or the MD Explorer don't have the cabin volume the 210 has. They sure can't get an S76 or an AB139 for anywhere near that price.
I for one thinks it makes sense for the government to buy a product that is less expensive to purchase and operate than many of the other options available. Just because it don't have weather radar, de-icing, or 3 axis AFCS doesn't mean it can't serve the nation well. I'm sorry, but I for one don't think that you need to use a Blackhawk, or an S92 to haul a tool box, or drop MRE's to hurricane survivors. Yep, I can haul more of these items with a Blackhawk, but I can also purchase a half dozen 210's for what a Blackhawk cost. Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing any of the Sikorsky products, but why use a Hummer to do what a 3/4 ton Chevy will do? Won't this free up other Blackhawks to perform the mission they were intended to do?
SASless,
There is a lot of work to zero time an airframe. First one has to find a good candidate, then they have to remove all the components, engines and wiring. Then, completely clean the airframe and perform any mods needed to bring the aircraft up to the current configuration. With the 210, all the rotors and drivetrain will be replaced with new 212 components and a zero timed engine. Its not as quite detailed as building new, but there still is a lot of work involved. As far as anyone else performing this operation, only the manufacturer has the drawings and specifications to complete the process and bring it to type design. Since the RFQ called for a Standard Catagory Aircraft all of the other wannabe's can only offer a "Restricted Catagory" aircraft. The RFQ also called for OEM support through their worldwide network and a small shop could never compete with that. In fact, you will be hard pressed to find any OEM that can compete with Bell's Customer Support Network.