In January 2005, the US101 was selected for the VXX Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program, and was promptly re-designated as the VH-71. However, development was subject to delays, cost overruns, and engineering issues; Lockheed attributed much of these issues to unanticipated and extensive modifications being demanded by the government that had been absent from the request for proposal (RFP) issued. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report in 2011 also recognised that a lack of flexibility and compromise on the part of the government had negatively impacted the programme. By late 2008, the cancellation of the VH-71 was looking increasingly likely.
In February 2009, PresidentBarack Obama asked Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates about placing the project on hold or cancelling it because of its high cost: over $13 billion for the planned 28 helicopters. In June 2009, the U.S. Navy terminated the contract after spending about $4.4 billion and taking delivery of nine VH-71s. In the aftermath of the cancellation, the delivered helicopters were sold onto Canada for $164 million, where they were used as a source of spare parts for its fleet of AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopters.
In January 2005, the US101 was selected for the VXX Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program, and was promptly re-designated as the VH-71. However, development was subject to delays, cost overruns, and engineering issues; Lockheed attributed much of these issues to unanticipated and extensive modifications being demanded by the government that had been absent from the request for proposal (RFP) issued. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report in 2011 also recognised that a lack of flexibility and compromise on the part of the government had negatively impacted the programme. By late 2008, the cancellation of the VH-71 was looking increasingly likely.
In February 2009, PresidentBarack Obama asked Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates about placing the project on hold or cancelling it because of its high cost: over $13 billion for the planned 28 helicopters. In June 2009, the U.S. Navy terminated the contract after spending about $4.4 billion and taking delivery of nine VH-71s. In the aftermath of the cancellation, the delivered helicopters were sold onto Canada for $164 million, where they were used as a source of spare parts for its fleet of AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopters.
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