OH-58 Kiowa (AHIP) Helicopter

The OH-58 Kiowa (AHIP) Helicopter program is a major Department of Defense aviation acquisition program that spans multiple decades of procurement, sustainment, and modernization activities. The program supports the OH-58 Kiowa, a military helicopter used by the United States Army for armed reconnaissance, security, target acquisition and designation, command and control, and observation purposes. Based on the contract history, this acquisition program has managed billions in procurement spanning from the early 1980s through the 2010s.

The federal contracts associated with this program primarily focused on aircraft equipment, structural components, maintenance and repair, guided missile systems, optical sighting equipment, and engineering services. Contract values ranged from approximately $125,000 to over $140 million, with typical performance periods of 1-3 years. Major contractors included Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Boeing Company, Honeywell International, Raytheon Company, and ARINC Incorporated. The primary contracting agencies were the Naval Air Systems Command, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, and U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Work was performed across multiple locations including Stratford CT, Huntsville AL, El Segundo CA, and Phoenix AZ. The program consistently utilized unrestricted competition with no set-aside designations, and predominantly employed Firm-Fixed-Price contracts, with some Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee and Time-and-Materials arrangements.