The Army officially aims to begin outfitting its first air assault unit with the new aircraft in fiscal year 2030, with the intention to have it operational by fiscal year 2031.
Since the widespread introduction of the helicopter in the Vietnam War, the US Army has adjusted its airborne operations doctrine to include air assault.
However, in a future near-peer conflict with China or Russia, the US military does not expect to operate in complete air superiority as it has done in the past two decades in the wars in the Middle East. Thus, the Army needs a new helicopter platform that can operate in a contested airspace and deliver air assault troops. Enter the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft.
“Twice as Far, Twice as Fast”: Meet the Army’s New FLRAA Helicopter
“Backed by cutting-edge digital engineering, FLRAA isn’t just a new rotorcraft; it’s a leap forward in how the Army plans, flies and fights in tomorrow’s conflicts,” the Pentagon states about the FLRAA.
The Army currently relies on the UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook for medium- and heavy-lift operations, respectively. The two rotor-wing aircraft have served as the backbone of the Army’s air assault capability for decades.
“It’s a game-changing capability in terms of speed and range,” Army Colonel Jeffrey Poquette, FLRAA project manager at the Program Executive Office for Aviation, said in a press statement.
According to Poquette, the goal of the FLRAA is to produce a next-generation tiltrotor assault aircraft that can reach “twice as far, twice as fast.”
The aircraft will be designated as MV-75 once it enters service.
However, the new aircraft remains a long way off. The FLRAA project still needs work before it produces an operational aircraft. To facilitate the design and development process, the Army is using innovative techniques.
How to Build a Next-Gen Helicopter
In developing the FLRAA, the Army is relying heavily on digital engineering. The concept allows designers to create digital designs and assess the impact of changes before building physical prototypes.
“Digital engineering isn’t magic. It’s just a really deep look in a common environment where we have a single source of truth. We never don’t know what the design is today. I can take my phone out right now and look at the design and see where we are … that’s powerful,” Poquette added.
Prototypes often show unexpected design issues during the initial tests, requiring the development of new prototypes. Digital engineering aims to bypass such issues and produce better systems at a fast pace.
“I’m not even going to say that digital engineering is faster upfront. It’s an investment in time. It’s an investment in intellectual capital,” Poquette added. “But when we build the prototypes, we’re going to be so confident that anything we need to fix should be small, should not be expensive, and that we can quickly fix those prototypes, continue on with the test program and get the capability into soldiers’ hands as soon as possible.”
The Army officially aims to begin outfitting its first air assault unit with the new tiltrotor aircraft in fiscal year 2030, with the intention to have the first unit operational by fiscal year 2031. Army leaders, however, are pushing for a faster delivery time.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
