Sikorsky has partnered with Boeing over the development of the Joint Multi Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD), the SB.1 DEFIANT. Lockheed Martin has offered its mission management system capability to both of the contenders, the other being Bell Helicopter with its tiltrotor based V-280 VALOR. This summer, Lockheed Martin has announced its $9 billion purchase ($7.1 billion after tax breaks) of Sikorsky. This now means that Lockheed Martin will partner with Boeing over the development of the SB.1 DEFIANT, which is in direct competition with Bell Helicopter's V-280 VALOR tiltrotor, a platform in which Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for many of the systems. The DoD must be wondering how this will all manage to work out in delivering competitive, value-for-money systems that are not subject to incestuous contractual and development relationships. Perhaps this opens the door for Europe's rotorcraft manufacturers to re-evaluate their assessment of the FVL competition.
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