By Bill Lewis, Defense Opinion Writer.
As the Army continues development of its new Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), the advanced tiltrotor must evolve, adapt and prevail in the face of relentless technological innovation and ever-evolving threats. Fortunately, the Department of Defense has set the program on the right path to making FLRAA a platform that can adapt to change by mandating disciplined adherence to a relatively new concept called MOSA.
MOSA refers to a Modular Open Systems Approach to aircraft design and an acquisition strategy that emphasizes the use of modular components with standardized interfaces. This allows for easier upgrades, maintenance and integration of new technologies over time. A relatively simple, but highly impactful engineering approach, it will help ensure that future warriors are equipped with cutting edge technology throughout the entire FLRAA life cycle.
Vendor-lock and rapid obsolescence
For decades, mission system integrators have often been sole-source providers with proprietary technology. These arrangements have locked in vendors and guaranteed high costs, lengthy delays and early obsolescence for military mission systems and avionics, including the many legacy aircraft in service today.
Imagine a smartphone owner having to pay exorbitant fees to add an app to their phone, waiting years for installation and then finding, once the installation is complete, that the phone does not work, or is now out of date. They would never tolerate it. Yet this is the reality for many military programs today.
Congress and the Pentagon recognized this intolerable situation. As a result, the Department of Defense Future Vertical Lift (FVL) initiative, which includes the FLRAA program, requires a Modular Open Systems Approach to enable continuous future technology upgrades.
MOSA is not optional for the Army’s advanced tiltrotor program. Future system upgrades must be conducted within a MOSA framework, where the government decides what is “open.”
Three service secretaries recently published a tri-service memorandum reminding industry and program managers of the five MOSA pillars – modular design, modular interfaces, consensus-based open standards, enabling environments and certified compliance. Bell Textron Inc.’s MOSA design for the Army’s FLRAA program adheres strictly to those standards.
As with a modern smartphone, MOSA allows for a multitude of apps with distinct functions, from different creators to operate seamlessly on one unitary platform.
A range of benefits
MOSA offers a multitude of benefits for the Department of Defense, including lower costs, greater interoperability, flexibility, and rapid response to both emerging threats and enhanced technology.
It reduces the time and cost burdens for upgrades and obsolescence management through increased competition among suppliers for functionality. MOSA lowers the time to incorporate components from years to a couple of months – and sometimes to as little as days.
It provides for enhanced interoperability. The modern battlespace is an incredibly complex environment where every platform must communicate as a node in the joint all-domain command and control environment. MOSA facilitates FLRAA’s interoperability by making it significantly easier to align systems across domains. In an electronic warfare environment, MOSA software allows for changes to operational communications frequency within mere hours – something unheard-of previously.
Finally, MOSA enables continual incorporation of new functionality. Whether reacting to emerging threats or capitalizing on new technologies, MOSA ensures that the U.S. Army’s FLRAA provides the latest capability to the warfighter, rapidly and continuously, across the entire life cycle. Modifying survivability equipment in response to a new threat will be accomplished in days – as opposed to months.
Key to maintaining technological edge
FLRAA is the U.S. Army’s multi-mission aircraft to reach the enemy and deliver effects throughout a vast, complex battlespace at a pace the enemy cannot match. MOSA is the key to maintaining technological overmatch and affordability across the entire life of the program.
MOSA is more than just a technical concept; it is a strategic approach that is shaping the future of military technology. By embracing MOSA, the Department of Defense is ensuring that its warfighting systems, including FLRAA, remain adaptable, affordable and interoperable.
In a world of rapid technological change and ever-evolving threats, MOSA is the key to maintaining a decisive military edge. By incorporating MOSA into FLRAA from the outset, the Army is assured of a cutting-edge weapons platform that can maintain overmatch for decades to come.
Bill Lewis is a retired member of the senior executive service, master army aviator, experimental test pilot and program manager.
Are you a Defense Daily reader with a thought-provoking opinion on a defense issue? We want to hear from you.
- We welcome submissions of opinion articles on national security, defense spending, weapons systems and related areas.
- We welcome submissions from lawmakers, administration officials, industry representatives, military officials, academics, think tank experts, congressional candidates, international experts and others on issues important to the national defense community.
- We welcome a diverse range of opinions all along the political spectrum.
- Email: editor@DefenseOpinion.com
