Lockheed to spice up Sikorsky helicopter offer in Poland

Lockheed Martin aims to sweeten Sikorsky's bid to build 50 helicopters for Poland if Warsaw scraps a $3 billion plan to buy the helicopters from Airbus Group, said Steve O'Bryan, head of business development for Lockheed's mission systems and training business, which includes Sikorsky, The senior executive said a new bid would include weapons, combat training and pricing in the Polish currency, all elements that were not included in Sikorsky's original bid. The previous PO-led government had signed an initial agreement with the French manufacturer to buy EC-725 Caracal multi-purpose helicopters. The contract has yet to be signed by the new government, which would rather award the contract to locally based subsidiaries of Sikorksy or AgustaWestland. He said Lockheed's acquisition of Sikorsky last year provided opportunities to strengthen the proposal. "We're better together," O'Bryan told Reuters in an interview, underscoring the benefit of bidding as a newly joined unit. O'Bryan said it was increasingly important for weapons makers to involve local industry, ensure some technology transfer and help build lasting domestic industries when competing for large arms sales today, unlike the shorter term "offset programs" favored in the past.