Originally Posted by
chopper2004
I guess it was no surprise when Boeing offering to FARA was dropped then, mind you the design looked quite simple and conventional...
What was the official reason for either Boeing dropped or pulled out of FARA?
cheers
Boeing's FARA wasn't simple or conventional. It was a thrust compounded single main rotor helicopter which is more complex than Bell's lift compounded design. Both are simpler than Sikorsky's Raider-X. My view is that the Army is giving Sikorsky as many chances as possible to show some success with an X-2 platform and picked a no-kidding low risk design as the alternate. Not only was Boeing's configuration not the lowest risk, but there is no track record of getting a demonstrator/prototype put together on time. Bell also had that going for them.