(Reuters) -Lockheed Martin Corp's Sikorsky unit on Wednesday sought a review of the U.S. Army's decision to award a contract for its next-generation helicopter to Textron Inc (NYSE:TXT)'s Bell unit.
The company, which filed its protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), said it had partner Boeing (NYSE:BA) Co's support.
Earlier this month, the Army ended a years-long competition aimed at finding a replacement for the Black Hawk utility helicopter after it assigned the contract to Textron's unit.
The contract is potentially worth around $70 billion - over decades - depending on how many are ordered, according to the Army, which is looking to retire more than 2,000 medium-class UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters built by Sikorsky since the 1970s.
The filing of a protest by Lockheed and Boeing triggers a formal legal review from the GAO and requires a decision within 100 days, the agency said.
The Army acknowledges Sikorsky's decision to file for protest and will comply with GAO's requirements, said a spokesperson for U.S. Army Program Executive Office - Aviation.
The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.