The replacement helicopter for the aging Black Hawk fleet won’t be Boeing’s Defiant X model out of Ridley, according to the U.S. Army, writes Joseph N. DiStefano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Army instead picked Textron Inc.’s Bell V-280 Valor out of Texas.

The Pentagon said it awarded a contract and $232 million to begin production at Textron out of its Bell helicopter plants.

Boeing said it hasn’t given up on its Defiant helicopters and is working to get the Army to reconsider.

“We remain confident Defiant X is the transformational aircraft the U.S. Army requires to accomplish its complex missions today and well into the future,” according to spokesman Josh Barrett. “We will evaluate our next steps after reviewing feedback from the Army.”

Had the Army gone with the Defiant X contract, it would have meant the Ridley plant’s remaining the largest industrial complex in the Philadelphia area, providing more than 4,000 assembly, design and management jobs.

The Ridley plant now builds the Army’s CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters and the tilt-rotor Ospreys.

Demand for Chinooks is up since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Read more about Boeing losing the Defiant X U.S. Army contract to Textron at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

This promotional video looks at the aircraft being built by Boeing at Ridley.