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As the name suggests, the main mission of the FLRAA will be long-range airmobile assaults carrying troops and cargo inside and out, slung over the shoulder. Concept art that Lockheed Martin and Boeing posted on the Defiant X shows helicopters carrying cargo containers and 155mm M777 towed howitzers as an example.
“One of the key words here is versatility,” said Heather McBryan, Boeing director of sales and marketing for Future Vertical Lift, in a meeting leading up to today’s official announcement. “Although the FLRAA mission is not limited to flying quickly, and although we know that the stimulation mission is the air assault mission, this aircraft is going to be called upon to do many other things on a daily basis, as well as our design and our capabilities. really provides that extreme lifting power for these types of missions.
The military is also hoping for the winning design of FLRAA as a replacement for at least some of the specially configured MH-60L / M helicopters assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). The requirements set out in the service in 2018 also included a discussion of a potential configuration for the United States Marine Corps.
There is reportedly already significant foreign interest in the FLRAA competition, including within NATO, which makes sense given the number of countries around the world operating UH-60s or other similar sized helicopters, which also, in many cases, increasingly in need of replacement. NATO is also currently studying a potential intra-European design to meet these requirements.
The military’s current goal is to issue a formal request for proposals for the FLRAA program by the end of FY2021 on September 30 and choose a winner in FY2022 following. The hope is that the first examples will enter operational service by 2030.
It remains to be seen exactly what Bell’s offering will look like, but just as Defiant X is based on the SB> 1 Defiant, its proposal will likely be derived directly from the V-280 Valor tilt rotor and based on its own experience with it. JMR technology demonstration effort.
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