Textron's Bell has won the U.S. Army's competition to build the Future Long-Range assault aircraft.
Around 1,200 Apache attack helicopters will be replaced by the next- generation helicopter, which is worth up to $1 billion. The Black Hawk, the workhorse of the Army for getting troops to and around the battlefield, and the Apache, focused on attack missions, will no longer be used.
The service wants FLRAA to be able to travel over two thousand nautical miles without refueling but also to be able to maneuver troops into dangerous hot spots.
The low rate production phase could be worth $7 billion. The program could be worth up to $70 billion if the full complement of aircraft are purchased across the entire life of the fleet.
Complicating the Army's vertical lift modernization efforts, the Army is planning to develop and field a future attack aircraft nearly along the same timelines to perform the scout mission. The duty was left vacant when the Army retired its Kiowa Warrior helicopter. The Army has been able to fill that gap with teams of Apache helicopters.
The Army hasn't bought a major helicopter since the 1980s and multiple attempts to buy other helicopters over the last several decades ended in failure. The Boeing-Sikorsky RAH 66 Comanche helicopter program was canceled by the service in 2004.
Bell's V-280 Valor and Boeing's Defiant X were competing in the FLRAA competition against each other. The aircraft were designed to fit in the same spot as a Black Hawk.
This is the largest and most complex competitive procurement that the Army has ever done, according to Barrie. It goes without saying that we want to make sure everything is done correctly and in a disciplined manner.
Scott Donnelly, Textron's chief executive, said in a statement that the company is "honored that the U.S. Army has selected the Bell V-280 Valor as its next- generation assault aircraft." We intend to honor that trust by building a truly remarkable and transformational weapon system.
One of the most anticipated Army awards was expected earlier this year. Doug Bush told Defense News in October that the award would come in weeks.
Pressure is put on the military to ensure awards are protest proof.
The source-selection board needed to take a careful approach.
The source-selection board goes through a process that includes an audit of themselves and others to make sure it was done correctly. We want to make sure that we do this the right way and that we get what's best for the army.
DEFIANT X is the transformational aircraft the U.S. Army needs to accomplish its complex missions today and into the future, according to a statement sent out after the Army announced the award to Bell. After reviewing feedback from the army, we will evaluate our next steps.
There were several years of test flights for both aircraft. They flew in a technology demonstration and then two phases of a competitive development and risk- reduction effort.
The first flight of Valor was supposed to be on time in December of last year, but it was delayed by more than a year.
In August of last year, a small version of the company's Defiant aircraft crashed at its test flight facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. The internal test program for refining the X2 helicopter technology for both the FLRAA program and the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft effort is still going on.
Manufacturing issues caused the company to have a delay.
The team had hoped to fly by the end of the year, but engineers discovered a number of issues that halted testing. It was the first time that defiant flew.
After the JMR demonstration phase, the Army continued with two more phases of a competitive demonstration and risk reduction effort.
The V-280 flew more than 200 hours and reached a maximum cruising speed of over 300 knots.
The V-280 has been flown by five Army test pilots. Bell used feedback from Army pilots to inform their designs.
According to Sikorsky, Defiant flew a total of 63.9 hours, traveled as fast as 247 knots, and demonstrated its ability to fly at tree-top heights. The aircraft tested greater than 60-degree banked turns, demonstrated confined area-landing operations, and lifted a 5,300-pound guided multiple launch rocket storage Pod. Multiple test pilots flew the aircraft.
Bell's FLRAA prototypes will be ready for the service in 25 years. If options beyond the initial contract are exercised, the initial contract obligation can be as high as $1.3 billion.
The initial phase allows the Army to continue preliminary design while getting to the design, development and delivery of virtual prototypes.
The FLRAA is expected to enter the fleet in the year 2030. Two companies are vying to build the FARA.
The service wants to field FARA and FLRAA in the near future. Two teams are trying to build prototypes by the end of the year. The teams are waiting for the Army to deliver their new engine under the Improved Turbine Engine Program. The delivery of the ITEP engines was delayed due to the Pandemic.
The Army decided to delay the delivery of the ITEP engines for the aircraft because of supply chain and technical issues.
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