AW contests Army’s Lakota plan

The Army’s tentative plan to acquire up to 110 Airbus UH-72A Lakota primary helicopter trainers, a military variant of Airbus Helicopter Inc.’s EC145 built at Columbus, Miss., has been met with a legal challenge from AgustaWestland alleging that the service “acted unlawfully and unreasonably” by restricting requirements and competition to AHI’s EC145. AW filed a complaint contesting the Army’s sole-source contract plans to replace its fleet of TH-67s. AW is seeking a federal temporary restraining order to block the acquisition. AW’s move is seen as primarily political. The Army has not determined how it will go about contracting for the new trainers. The decision is expected in January. (Source: AIN Online 10/16/14)