The US Army is poised to release a final request for proposals (RfP) for its Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) in May 2015, opening a competition to keep the landmark platforms of the army's legacy ro-torcraft fleet - the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter and the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopter- adequately powered for the next two decades. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Heidi Shyu, the service's senior procurement executive, approved a budget for ITEP in early 2015, giving permission to proceed with a competition for the programme. In January, Shyu warned about the disproportionate impact of Pentagon budget pressure on the army's research and development (R&D) funding, including most of its helicopter modernisation plans. The army leadership's support of ITEP under an austerity budget indicates just how valuable the programme is to the service.
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