Helicopter Makers Land Big Deals For Helicopters

Two aircraft makers landed big deals for helicopters Thursday, including a potential sale to Slovakia aimed at "helping to improve the security of a Nato ally." The Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Thursday approved the potential sale of nine UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Slovakia, including associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $450 million. http://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/slovakia-uh-60m-black-hawk-helicopters Black Hawks are made by United Technology Corp.'s

Sikorsky unit. News of the Slovakia approval came as a top Nato commander in Europe said the alliance should prepare for a large-scale conventional assault by Russia on an eastern European member state. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/204ecbb8-b913-11e4-a8d0-00144feab7de.html#axzz3SJvxRm2I General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, Nato's deputy commander of forces in Europe, made the comment Friday before an audience at a London think tank. Separately, the Department of Defense on Thursday awarded Boeing Co.

a $591.3 million contract for 35 AH-64E Apache helicopters with an estimated completion date of July 31. http://www.defense.gov/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=5481 Helicopters are a "potential bright spot"in the Defense Department's latest budgets, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported the two contracts earlier.