Lonewolf,
I appreciate that the gucci kit costs more, but given 1) that most if not all of the systems in question will have already have been integrated onto the HH-60G, UH-60M or MH-60M, 2) that the USAF already has some familiarity with the Mike through its prior op-loss buy, and 3) that the acquisition had previously been described as a relatively simple UH-60M conversion, I'm surprised over the NRE and, especially, the unit price delta vs. a baseline Mike ($59M vs. $19M). No slam on Sikorsky or the Hawk, just genuine surprise. Could be there's a support component in the $7.9 Bn number.
Still, it's a significant saving compared to the
original award.
I/C