The Army is canceling its potential multi-billion dollar Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, as part of a slate of changes to its aviation modernization efforts.
The service announced the decision to cut the major aviation development effort, which was currently in a competitive prototyping phase with Bell [TXT] and
Sikorsky [LMT].
“In reviewing the FARA program in light of new technological developments, battlefield developments and current budget projections, Army leaders assessed that the increased capabilities it offered could be more affordably and effectively achieved by relying on a mix of enduring, unmanned, and space-based assets,” the Army said on Thursday.
FARA was the Army’s program to field a new scout attack helicopter, having selected Bell’s 360 Invictus and Sikorsky’s Raider X designs in March 2020 for the current competitive prototyping phase after both had participated in an initial design phase alongside several other firms dating back to June 2019.
Bell and Sikorsky’s prototypes were on a projected path for first flights in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024, after the two vendors received the new General Electric Aviation [GE]-built T901 helicopter engine this past October (Defense Daily, Oct. 24 2023). ‘
Delivery of the T901 engines, developed under the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), had been delayed several times due to manufacturing challenges that pushed the FARA program timeline and flight test plans by nearly a year.
“The Army will discontinue development of the Future Attack and Reconnaissance Aircraft at the conclusion of prototyping activities while continuing investment in the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, and making new investments in UH-60 Blackhawk, and CH-47F Block II Chinook. The Army will also phase out operations of systems that are not capable or survivable on today’s battlefield including the Shadow and Raven unmanned aircraft systems. The Army will increase investments in cutting-edge, effective, capable and survivable unmanned aerial reconnaissance capabilities and the procurement of commercial small unmanned systems. These investments will be continuous and agile to stay ahead of emerging battlefield requirement,” the service wrote in a statement on Thursday.
Along with ending development of FARA, the Army said its updated aviation priorities include ending production of the UH-60V Black Hawk after FY ‘24 “due to significant cost growth” and delaying entering production of the ITEP engine “to ensure adequate time to integrate it with AH-64 and UH-60 platforms.”
Doug Bush, the Army’s top acquisition official, told lawmakers last April the ITEP engine delay had pushed back a planned Milestone B decision for FARA to the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 (Defense Daily, April 20 2023).
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), chair of the HASC Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, pressed Bush at the time on the status of the Army’s ongoing Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) study for FARA, which assesses procurement pathway options, asking why the process is occurring now rather than several years ago.
“It’s alarming to me that those haven’t been done to this point. To me, that should have been done earlier in the process. And we’re seeing that being delayed now,” Wittman said at the time. “If at this particular point with as much investment that’s been made, which is now about $2 billion, what if an AoA shows that there’s a better alternative. It seems like we’ve spent an awful lot of money if we end up in a different place. And if that’s the case, I don’t want to repeat the same challenges the Army went through with [canceled] Comanche [helicopter program].”
Bush said during the April hearing the service initiated the AoA process once it settled on a traditional acquisition approach for FARA, which requires the study to be completed before making a Milestone B decision.
“To be fair to my predecessors, I believe there was hope at the time to be able to go perhaps earlier to a Milestone C-type approach or even perhaps rapid fielding. But based on where the program is and the technology, we decided the more responsible approach would be to go to a traditional Milestone B, which requires the AoA,” Bush said at the time. “Ultimately, the decision on moving forward on the Milestone B will belong to [DoD Acquisition Executive Bill] LaPlante, advised by the Army, CAPE and others. I think I’m confident though that the AoA, the way it’s structured, is fair. It is very thorough. It is examining many alternatives. I think that’s good.”
The final FY ‘24 National Defense Authorization Act included a provision that would limit travel funds for the Secretary of the Army until the service submits the AoA study for the FARA program (Defense Daily, Dec. 8).
Bell is currently building the Army’s Future Long Assault Aircraft, with the Army selecting its V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft over a Sikorsky and Boeing [BA] team’s Defiant X coaxial rigid rotor helicopter offering in Dec. 2022 (Defense Daily, Dec. 5 2022).
The Army’s initial FLRAA deal to Bell is worth up to $1.3 billion but could total $7 billion if all options are picked up for the program to find an eventual UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter replacement.