Matthew Nelson
Boeing has awarded FLIR Systems a $40M initial contract to provide an electro-optical/infrared surveillance sensor technology to the U.S. Air Force‘s UH-1N helicopter replacement program.
FLIR said Wednesday it will supply the Star SAFIRE 380-HDc EO/IR system for integration onto the first four MH-139 helicopters that a Boeing-Leonardo team will build for the military service.
MH-139 is based on Leonardo’s AW139 platform and designed to support training, operational support airlift and test operations.
The Air Force awarded Boeing a potential $2.38B contract in September to manufacture and help the service branch sustain 84 MH-139s.
Jim Cannon, president and CEO of FLIR, said the company aims to help U.S. Strategic Command detect airborne threats with airborne imaging technology.
Stratcom has used UH-1Ns since the mid-1990s and recently tapped FLIR to equip a batch of helicopters with Star SAFIRE sensors ahead of new aircraft deployment efforts.
The company’s government and defense business will manufacture the technology at a facility in Wilsonville, Ore.
