Boeing (www.boeing.com) is to provide its MH-139 helicopter (and related support) to the US Air Force to replace the more than 40-year-old UH-1N ‘Huey’ helicopters that are used to protect America’s intercontinental ballistic missile bases.

The contract, worth some $2.4 billion, is for up to 84 helicopters, training devices and associated support equipment.

The MH-139 is derived from the Leonardo AW139, which is used by more than 270 governments, militaries and
companies world-wide.

Leonardo will assemble the helicopters at its north-east Philadelphia plant, with Boeing integrating military-specific components at its facility south of that city.

Ed Dolanski, president of US Government Services at Boeing, said: “We’re proud to provide the US Air Force with solutions across the entire services eco-system.

"With the AW139 platform’s more than 2 million flight-hours and an established supply chain, we look forward to applying our expertise to drive cost savings, while supporting mission readiness.”