WASHINGTON — The head of Sikorsky’s military helicopter unit says interest in his company’s products from Eastern Europe has spiked in the last year, and he now expects “dozens” of units to be sold to the region in the next 12 months — including potential sales to Ukraine, should the Obama administration decide to begin arming military forces in the region.
Samir Mehta, president of Sikorsky military systems, told reporters Feb. 5 that there has been a “renewed sense of urgency” from Eastern Europe for his company’s products, particularly its Black Hawk utility helicopter, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began almost a year ago.
“I don’t think there’s any secret, geopolitically, what’s causing that demand,” Mehta said. “A lot of these countries have Russian equipment they have traditionally used, and now they want to be able to pivot over to using Western equipment and what the DOD uses. And for that means a lot of interest, specifically in the Black Hawk, so we’re seeing a huge spike up in interest from those countries.”
Asked specifically how many sales he foresees in the region, Mehta said he sees demand “in the dozens” over the next 12 months.
He held up the example of Slovakia as a country that the company was not targeting, and which is now in the process of procuring military helicopters from the Connecticut-based company, part of Untied Technologies.
“Slovakia has delivered a LOR [letter of request, an early step in the Foreign Military Sales process],” Mehta said. “A year ago, Slovakia would not have been on our radar as a near-term opportunity for the Black Hawk.”
Part of the interest from the region is political, with nations hoping to tie themselves more closely with the West in hopes it prevents Russia from making a move on their territory. But some of it is also logistical.
Mehta pointed out that many Eastern European nations are operating legacy Russian military equipment. With relations between Russia and its neighbors deteriorating, the support and supply chain to keep those aircraft running could be in danger.
Sikorsky is also keeping close eyes on Ukraine, although the situation there is caught up in whether or not the Obama administration decides to arm local military forces that are locked in combat with pro-Russian separatist fighters.
Speaking Monday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Obama indicated a decision on arming Ukrainian forces has not been made.
“The possibility of lethal defensive weapons is one of those options that’s being examined,” Obama told reporters when asked about the option of arming Ukrainian forces. “But I have not made a decision about that yet. I’ve consulted with not just Angela but will be consulting with other allies about this issue. … But I want to emphasize that a decision has not yet been made.”
Both Obama and Merkel sidestepped a question about what “red line” would be to trigger weapon sales to Ukraine, with Obama saying there is no not going to be a “specific point” that would lead to that next step.
Mehta stressed that the government has the lead on any such decision and the company is waiting for that to sort itself out, but when asked directly if he expected to see sales to Ukraine, he responded, “we hope so.”
He also indicated one solution could be to remanufacture old UH-60 Alpha models being divested from the US Army. The price point for Ukraine could then be “significantly less than a brand new helicopter,” Mehta said.
Email: amehta@defensenews.com
Twitter: @AaronMehta
