Feb. 25, 2009

Beth Dickey
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087
beth.dickey-1{at}nasa.gov

Rachel Prucey
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
650-604-0643
rachel.l.prucey{at}nasa.gov

CONTRACT RELEASE: C09-007

NASA AWARDS ROTORCRAFT TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected three companies to receive a subsonic
rotary wing technology development contract valued at $40 million.
The companies sharing the award are Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. of
Hurst, Texas; The Boeing Company of Chicago; and Sikorsky Aircraft
Corp. of Stratford, Conn.

This is a cost plus fixed fee, indefinite delivery, indefinite
quantity contract with a five-year period of performance beginning
Feb. 25, 2009.
The work will be performed for NASA's Subsonic Rotary Wing Project,
which the Fundamental Aeronautics Program of NASA's Aeronautics
Research Mission Directorate in Washington funds and manages.

Under the terms of the contract, the three companies will compete on
task orders to provide research and development support. The support
areas include advanced rotorcraft technologies, rotorcraft
requirements in the Next Generation Air Traffic Management System,
prognostics and health management, advanced rotorcraft
configurations, research flight testing, wind tunnel test stands,
hardware gear testing components, rotorcraft drive system sensitivity
studies, avionic processor equipment and Global Positioning System
upgrades, engineering analyses of advanced concepts, subject matter
expert review, and advanced cockpit and crew station research.

The work will be performed at Bell's facility in Hurst, Boeing's
facility in Mesa, Ariz., and Sikorsky's facility in Stratford.

For more information about NASA's aeronautics research programs,
visit:

http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov

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