Long-time Contractor Sikorsky Loses Bid 

(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today applauded the decision by the Department of Defense’s (DOD) decision to award Lockheed Martin the $1.6 billion Navy contract to deliver the next generation of presidential helicopters.  The winning bid means Sikorsky, a company with a checkered history that has supplied Presidential helicopters without competition since the Eisenhower presidency, will be replaced.

“Today taxpayers avoided what could have been another helicopter sinkhole had Sikorsky won the contract,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “Twenty years ago, Sikorsky’s Comanche seemingly had it all: dazzling graphics, wide political support and great promise.  However, the helicopter never materialized; $8 billion later, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld mercifully discontinued the project in February, 2004.”

Sikorsky’s bid for the Marine One contract was riddled with red flags signaling the strong possibilitylikelihood of another Comanche-style disaster.  Sikorsky proposed a Marine One fleet based on its S-92 commercial helicopter.  The Not surprisingly, the first S-92 helicopter promised in July 2001 was not actually available until late 2004, three years behind schedule.  Furthermore, Sikorsky openly admitted that the modifications for the proposed presidential version were still in the “development phase.” 

“Thankfully, DOD learned its lesson and chose not to head down the same expensive and ultimately fruitless road it took back in 1985,” Schatz continued.

The long-postponed debate between the two contractors was often clouded by the usual Washington spin.  Sikorsky, ignoring its delinquent service history, draped its contract bid with American flags, falsely insinuating that Lockheed presented a less “American” choice.  The Lockheed team includeswhile very much American, does include some foreign owned companies,; but, the contractor but the vast majority of manufacturing will still be done by American workers with American parts.  Some members of Congress with a parochial interest in supporting Sikorsky have suggested introducing legislation to overturn the decision.

“Congress must stay out of this,” Schatz said.  “DOD look through the game of smoke and mirrors and showed common sense by choosingto choose a contractor that is expected to stay on budget and on schedule for the protection of the President and taxpayers.  With a record $427 billion budget deficit predicted for fiscal 2005, taxpayers deserve to have costs stay on the ground.” 

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.