WASHINGTON, 29 March 2009. The Pentagon late Friday awarded an $80.6 million contract to ARINC Inc. of Annapolis, Md., to supervise the sale of 22 Russian-made MI-17CT military helicopters and related aviation technology and avionics to the Iraqi military.
Announcement of the contract to supply the military avionics and helicopter military system to ARINC, which was awarded three weeks ago, was made at 5 p.m. Friday, after the stock markets closed and many U.S. businesses closed for the weekend.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) awarded a similar contract to ARINC last summer to supply an identical number of helicopters to the Iraqi military -- only last summer the contract value was for $325 million, not the $80.6 million awarded this past week, according to Wired's Danger Room blog.
Friday's contract to ARINC to supply the Russian-made MI-17 helicopters to the Iraqi military was reported by the U.S. Army in the Pentagon's Blue Tops contract announcements, yet the portion of the work in the U.S. will be done in Warner Robins, Ga. -- which is home to the U.S. Air Force's Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
Awarding the contract was the Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation in Orlando, Fla. The contract is to be completed by the end of August 2010. The contract number is W900KK-08-C-0011.
Other work for this contract will be in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, (20 precent), and Ulan Ude Russia, (65 precent). Ulan Ude, Russia, is home to the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, which is the designer and manufacturer of the MI-17 military helicopter -- an export version of the Russian's military's MI-8 combat helicopter.
Different versions of the MI-17 helicopter are designed specifically for high-altitude military operations and are in service in the mountains of Afghanistan.
