House marks appropriations bill

August 3, 2008 by Dagpotter · Comment
Filed under: Bell, Boeing, Congress, Contract Awards, EADS, Federal Budget Process, Military Aviation, Northrop Grumman Corp., development program, logistics, production program 

The House Appropriations Committee marked the FY09 budget before taking their August recess.  See a story here. The Army’s struggling Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) program was marked to delete 13 aircraft, and the Navy’s Presidential Helo was also decremented. The House also ordered that consideration of jobs would be a criteria for the source selection of the KC-45 tanker. Boeing won its protest of the award to Northrop-Grumman and EADS and forced DoD to reconsider the contract. The Senate needs to also mark the bill and then there will be a Conference mark up as well.

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House Authorizers set own priorites

May 7, 2008 by Dagpotter · Comment
Filed under: Bell, Federal Budget Process, Military Aviation, development program 

The House Armed Services Committee marked up the FY09 Defense Authorization Bill to their own priorities. See an article here. Big cuts were made to the Army’s Advanced Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) and Future Combat System (FCS). ARH, a new Bell helicopter to replace the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, has had its struggles. FCS is a vast system of systems that will still get over $2 B of funding with the House cut. Of course the Senate has fully funded both programs so that will have to be worked out in Conference. Some programs did gain such as the C-17 and the House continued the second engine for the F-35 JSF despite Pentagon protests that it is not necessary. There will be many more changes by October.

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