FARA fallout: A ‘resurrection’ of Boeing’s A/MH-6 Little Bird for special forces

FARA fallout: A ‘resurrection’ of Boeing’s A/MH-6 Little Bird for special forces
FARA fallout: A ‘resurrection’ of Boeing’s A/MH-6 Little Bird for special forces

Special operators had planned for FARA to take the role of the AH-6, but the program’s cancellation “changed our equation,” a SOCOM official said.

Army planning consolidation roadmap for loitering munitions and small drones

Army planning consolidation roadmap for loitering munitions and small drones
Army planning consolidation roadmap for loitering munitions and small drones

Army acquisition head Doug Bush said he and Army Futures Command head Gen. James Rainey expect to have a plan rolled out sometime this summer.

Head start: Early ’25 may be first flight for Black Hawk with T901 engine

Head start: Early ’25 may be first flight for Black Hawk with T901 engine
Head start: Early ’25 may be first flight for Black Hawk with T901 engine

Sikorsky is using remaining FARA dollars to test out the new T901 engine in anticipation of integrating it on a UH-60 M Black Hawk later this year.

Army inching towards late FY25 Chinook Block II full-rate production contract

Army inching towards late FY25 Chinook Block II full-rate production contract
Army inching towards late FY25 Chinook Block II full-rate production contract

Boeing recently announced the Block II helo’s first maiden flight and plans to deliver the first production aircraft to the service in the coming weeks.

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Gray Eagle is the low-cost, low-risk answer to Army modernization

Gray Eagle is the low-cost, low-risk answer to Army modernization
Gray Eagle is the low-cost, low-risk answer to Army modernization

Gray Eagle STOL and Gray Eagle 25M are the best options for Army aviation as it assesses where to move from its current inflection point.

Connecticut lawmakers to grill Army, Lockheed about job cuts at Sikorsky helicopter unit

Connecticut lawmakers to grill Army, Lockheed about job cuts at Sikorsky helicopter unit
Connecticut lawmakers to grill Army, Lockheed about job cuts at Sikorsky helicopter unit

“The Connecticut delegation has questions about why, with that [FY24] appropriation in hand, this happened,” said Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn.

Bell and Leonardo eye NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability concept award

Bell and Leonardo eye NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability concept award
Bell and Leonardo eye NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability concept award

NGRC requirements mainly cover a future medium lift helicopter that costs no more than €35 million ($38.2 million) per aircraft and provisionally planned to enter service between 2035 and 2040.

Army’s $186B budget request shuffles artillery, aviation plans

Army’s $186B budget request shuffles artillery, aviation plans
Army’s $186B budget request shuffles artillery, aviation plans

The Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) platform joins the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) on the budget cutting room floor for America’s largest service.

Lawmakers press Army aviation leadership on FARA cancelation

Lawmakers press Army aviation leadership on FARA cancelation
Lawmakers press Army aviation leadership on FARA cancelation

UH-60M Blackhawks from Lockheed Martin Sikorsky and CH-47F Block II Chinooks from Boeing would have ended production in 2030 if the Army kept FARA going, a top service official testified.

The Army’s cuts, force structure changes put it on the right path

The Army’s cuts, force structure changes put it on the right path
The Army’s cuts, force structure changes put it on the right path

In this op-ed, retired Army Maj. Gen. John Ferrari argues that the Army’s decision to make cuts to force structure, while tough, is ultimately the right one.

Decision time: Army nears deadline for long-range precision munition acquisition plan

Decision time: Army nears deadline for long-range precision munition acquisition plan
Decision time: Army nears deadline for long-range precision munition acquisition plan

Despite last week’s aviation upheaval, the Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC) is slated to meet before the end of March to debate the path ahead for a formal program of record.

Terminating the FARA helo program was the right call by the Army chief

Terminating the FARA helo program was the right call by the Army chief
Terminating the FARA helo program was the right call by the Army chief

In this op-ed retired Army Maj. Gen. John Ferrari lays out why FARA had to go, and where Army aviation should fly from here.

Army cancels FARA helicopter program, makes other cuts in major aviation shakeup

Army cancels FARA helicopter program, makes other cuts in major aviation shakeup
Army cancels FARA helicopter program, makes other cuts in major aviation shakeup

In addition to halting the FARA competition, service leaders want to end UH-60 V Blackhawk production, postpone moving the Improved Turbine Engine Program into production, and phase out legacy drones.

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For Future Vertical Lift, FLRAA’s digital backbone will also underpin FARA

For Future Vertical Lift, FLRAA’s digital backbone will also underpin FARA
For Future Vertical Lift, FLRAA’s digital backbone will also underpin FARA

Different on the outside but with commonalities on the inside, the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) will share a MOSA backbone with the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).