In the aerospace industry, big military contracts can come in two ways: low-volume, high value platforms, and the opposite, multirole aircraft with enough development potential to sustain production over decades. The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is an example of the latter, in production since 1979 and still on the line today, with about 4000 produced so far. The replacement rotorcraft for such a successful program has to deliver outstanding performance, and it represents a massive production commitment for the winning airframer. Bell and Sikorsky – Boeing have produced radically different aircraft in the competition for this lucrative contract. The winner may establish the standard for VTOL military aircraft for decades to come. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.