Navy to publish helo replacement RFP later this month

The Navy plans to release the final request for proposals for its next training helicopter, TH-XX, later this month, according to documents the service published yesterday.

The Navy held a presolicitation conference with industry last month, and published documents from that conference Jan. 3 on the Federal Business Opportunities website. Those documents state the service plans to publish the final RFP this month.

Additionally, "the government intends to release the formal RFP no earlier than 22 January 2019," the FBO notice states. Proposals will be due in April, and a contract award is anticipated in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020.

The service plans to procure 130 helicopters to replace the legacy TH-57 Sea Rangers. In full rate production, the winning company could produce up to 28 aircraft in FY-20, and the government will have options to procure the rest of the program of record through FY-24, according to the documents.

Earlier this year, several companies began staking out their positions on the trainer replacement competition, including Bell, Leonardo Helicopters and Airbus Helicopters, Inside the Navy reported.