Department of Defense Exercises Contract Options

Leonardo sold a batch of 36 TH-73A helicopters to the United States Department of Defense, adding to a previous U.S. Navy contract for their Advanced Helicopter Training System. The $159.4 million firm fixed-price modification exercises options in the original deal, as well as their requisite spares and equipment. 

The Leonardo affiliate AgustaWestland Philadelphia corporation was given its first contract in January 2020 to begin production and delivery of 32 of the TH-73A helicopters, which included spares, support, equipment, and training services. Similar to other contracts in the same vein, Leonardo included the necessary education services to bring flight and maintenance personnel up to speed on the TH-73A. 

Months later, in November 2020, a second lot of aircraft was added, bringing the total to 104 total. The overall requirement for aircraft service wide is 130 total, of which the most recent addition reaches. The TH-73A will see service as it trains the next generation of student aviators from the Navy, the Marine Corp, and the Coast Guard. Despite its Italian origins, the helicopter is produced entirely at Leonardo's FAA-certified Part 21 manufacturing facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

The TH-73 is the new replacement for the aging TH-57 Sea Rangers used in maritime service training, integrating lessons learned from the best elements of the AgustaWestland AW119, the Airbus H135, and the Bell 407GXi. The helicopter’s selection was a surprise to some when it received FAA approval for instrument flight, the first single-engine helicopter in decades to achieve the honor. When selected, Captain Holly Shoger of the Naval Undergrad Flight Training Systems program, said “The Leonardo TH-73A helicopters are the cornerstone of AHTS,” high praise for a new aircraft indeed. It seems it was not misplaced, as the contract has been fulfilled to the maximum quantities, a rare occurrence in military procurement. 

FMI: www.leonardocompany.com