Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) will replace the Army's Black Hawk helicopter. The competition for the contract is between Bell Textron and Lockheed Martin Sikorsky.
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| Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) will replace the Army's Black Hawk helicopter |
Officials with the Army initially predicted that a decision on the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft would be made in September, but later pushed the expected date back to October. The end of the month was widely predicted as the time for an announcement by the industry. However, today, the Army's highest officer dampened enthusiasm by suggesting that the decision could be delayed by several more months.
According to Army Chief of Staff General James McConville's speech at this
year's Association of the United States Army conference, the selection process
for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft will begin within the next few
months.
As part of the Army's future vertical lift portfolio, the FLRAA is ranked as
one of the top 35 modernization priority programs. The Army's aging Black Hawk
helicopter will soon be replaced by a futuristic variant.
The Army's Program Executive Office for Aviation and the Future Vertical Lift
Cross-Functional Team are in charge of the FLRAA contract competition between
Bell Textron and Lockheed Martin Sikorsky. The Army's V-280 Valor is a
tiltrotor aircraft, while Sikorsky's Defiant X has coaxial rotors.
Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth was quoted earlier in the day as
saying, "I think it will be a little more time" in reference to the FLRAA
decision.
The FLRAA decision has been further clouded by the remarks of the two top
leaders. Other Army leaders at the exhibition have also been mum on the
apparent delay and when we can expect to receive the award.
Major General Walter Rugen, director of the Future Vertical Lift
Cross-Functional Team, said yesterday at a media roundtable at the show, "I'm
not going to get into that."
During the roundtable, the Army's acting deputy program executive officer for
aviation, Rodney Davis, told reporters that the service would not disclose any
concrete time frames.
We are currently experiencing FLRAA's quiet period. Davis stated at the
roundtable, "We're working through a very event driven but rigorous process to
get to that decision." Not today, but we're getting there. We anticipate
reaching a solid conclusion quickly. No specific dates are being discussed.
