The Army plans to expand its autonomous air capability portfolio with a CCA-like option, and right now the service is working with the other services, partners and allies to find out what the right option may look like.
“What has changed is that we’ve doubled down on the Army’s priorities, and I believe our Army senior leaders and Congress are helping us remove some of the barriers to acceleration," PEO Aviation Brig. Gen. David Phillips told Breaking Defense.
Knowing when to build on commercial systems and when to develop something new can be the difference between parity and information dominance.
The program manager for the Future Long Range Attack Aircraft breaks down what the supply chain needs to be doing now for production.
The Army has received its first two ITEP engines, and a re-engined Black Hawk will fly in late FY25/early FY26.
The testing took place under "realistic battlefield conditions" and five UH-60V's completed a total of 200 flight hours, the Army says.
The Army will ship AeroVironment's JUMP 20 to a brigade to meet an immediate operational need to replace RQ-7 Shadow. The service is holding a separate competitive rapid prototyping effort for increment two.
“Tactical operating system” for warfighters has evolved to provide more situational awareness of the battlefield.
If all options are exercised, the contract value could be $4.4 billion.
"[I] don't want to oversell it. We got way more work to do than what wins we made, but those were very encouraging signs," said Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, director of the Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team.
"I have a hard time believing we’re going to have 35 Rangers in the back of an aircraft and they’re going to go up and knock on the door of the cockpit and there’s no one in there,” said Gen. James McConville.
Both vendors for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft are waiting on the ITEP engine to fly their prototype recon helicopters.
Why edge and endpoint security can’t be an afterthought.
The Army hasn't committed to a large purchase of the cargo choppers, despite congressional pressure.
“I think it's unanimous from all the soldiers involved that we got this one right,” said the Army’s project manager for the Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System. Manned aircraft, FARA and FLRAA, are also moving out sharply.
“Modular open systems architecture... is the foundation of all our future modernization,” said Brig. Gen. Glenn Dean. The Bradley replacement, OMFV, will be the test case.
The S-97 Raider is Sikorsky's proto-prototype for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft. It's competing with the Bell 360 Invictus -- but unlike the S-97, the 360 isn't flying yet.