American rotorcraft programs have enjoyed export success as well despite a robust European helicopter industrial base . Boeing has continued to win export orders for upgrades of its AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to the “ E ” variant for customers including the U . K . and Netherlands . In addition , Boeing has provided the latest CH- 47F models of its heavy-lift Chinook helicopter with large orders by the U . K ., Netherlands , Italy , and Spain . By comparison , Sikorsky ( since acquired by Lockheed Martin ) acquired a production facility in Poland to build an international variant of its UH-60 utility helicopter for sales in Europe and elsewhere . The two U . S . helicopter suppliers will face off for Germany ’ s requirement for 40 to 60 replacement heavy-lift helicopters , with Boeing ’ s CH-47 competing with Sikorsky ’ s CH-53K .
Across the Atlantic , Boeing partnered with Leonardo ’ s AgustaWestland division to offer a derivative of the Italian AW139 helicopter for the U . S . Air Force ’ s vertical lift replacement for executive transport and security missions . The resulting MH- 139A was selected by USAF with 2.4 billion dollar award for 84 aircraft in 2019 . Looking forward , a Boeing-Sikorsky team is competing with Textron ’ s Bell Helicopter division for one variant of the Army ’ s Future Vertical Lift program while Sikorsky and Bell compete for another , with the potential to replace up to several thousand aircraft in multiple configurations across DoD fleets . The teams have demonstrated both modern conventional helicopter designs as well as advanced architectures such as coaxial rotor and tiltrotor concepts to achieve requirements for increased speed , lift , and range .
The intent is to field helicopters initially in two variants ( reconnaissance / attack and long-range assault ) in the 2030 timeframe , and it is likely that export opportunities will follow .
32 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS