The U.S. Army has awarded Sikorsky a firm-fixed-price, foreign military sales contract to produce Black Hawks for Saudi Arabia, the Defense Dept. said. Worth $3.8 billion, Lockheed Martin said the contract also includes an option for an additional 103 aircraft. Should the option be exercised, the contract total could reach $5.2 billion, the manufacturer said.

"Four decades of production, strong program execution and delivery on behalf of the warfighter, coupled with great affordability for the taxpayer, have been the cornerstones of this program," said Sam Mehta, president of defense systems and services for Sikorsky. "This contract allows us to continue supporting the important missions the Black Hawk performs as the workhorse utility and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) helicopter in the U.S. Army inventory."

Under this contract, Sikorsky is to provide associated services for program system management, engineering, technical data and publication until the estimated completion date of June 30, 2022. Lockheed Martin said that actual production quantities are to be determined each year based on funding allocations. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in October.