FLRAA

[Lonewolf_50]

Originally Posted by Evalu8ter

I’ve maintained that the Valor was the low risk and long range option for the Army. Interesting that the statement also notes that it will supplement, not totally replace, the UH-60….

The UTTAS project ultimately delivered Blackhawks, but the Army kept flying Hueys of various kinds for some decades after that.

The first UH-60A, built during the first year of low rate initial production, was delivered to the Army in 1978 and entered service with the 101st Combat Aviation brigade of the 101st Airborne Division in June 1979 .

Expect to see similar overlap between Valor and UH-60.

Your point on low risk is echoed by quite a few others I've discussed this program with.

[melmothtw]

Originally Posted by Evalu8ter

I’ve maintained that the Valor was the low risk and long range option for the Army. Interesting that the statement also notes that it will supplement, not totally replace, the UH-60….

Indeed, it will supplement and not replace the Black Hawk for the reason I don't think the UK should be looking at it as a future option - it won't be suitable for most of the work that the US Army does with its medium-lift helicopters.

The UTTAS project ultimately delivered Blackhawks, but the Army kept flying Hueys of various kinds for some decades after that.

That's a little different. Fielding Hueys while introducing Black Hawks was simply an overlapping transition between two helicopter types of similar roles and functions. Retaining Black Hawks while introducing Valors is the same in some regards, but also about still requiring the basic helicopter capabilities the army won't necessarily get (at least not affordably) with the Valor.

[ORAC]

https://www.defensenews.com/industry...icopter-award/

Sikorsky challenges US Army’s helicopter award

WASHINGTON — Sikorsky has filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office over the U.S. Army’s contract award to Textron’s Bell to build the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft, expected to be the service’s largest helicopter procurement in 40 years.

The GAO confirmed it has an “open protest filed today [Dec. 28] by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation challenging the award of the Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).” The government watchdog noted it is required to issue a decision no later than April 7, 2023.….

Paul Lemmo, Sikorsky’s president, said in a statement the team conducted “a thorough review of the information and feedback provided by the Army.”

“The data and discussions lead us to believe the proposals were not consistently evaluated to deliver the best value in the interest of the Army, our soldiers and American taxpayers,” he said…..

Army officials said the service sought to ensure the FLRAA program decision would be unassailable. Yet, Army acquisition chief Doug Bush said during the Dec. 5 briefing that the service “anticipated [a protest] potentially happening and [has] accounted for that in our timelines.”……

[ORAC]

https://www.defensenews.com/industry...r-future-helo/

Sikorsky won’t sue US Army after GAO rejected protest over future helo

WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky said Tuesday it won’t sue the U.S. Army after the Government Accountability Office rejected its protest of the service’s decision to choose Textron’s Bell to build the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft.

The FLRAA competition pitted Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft against Sikorsky and Boeing’s Defiant X, which features coaxial rotor blades.

Sikorsky “has decided not to pursue additional legal action regarding the [FLRAA] program,” a company statement said. “We are disappointed with the [GAO] decision and remain convinced that our [Defiant] X offering represented both the best value for the taxpayer and the transformation technology that our warfighters need to execute their complex missions.”

Instead, Sikorsky will turn its focus to the Army’s other future vertical lift pursuit, the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft. Sikorsky is pitted against Bell in the FARA competition. Each company was selected in 2020 to build prototypes in a competition that will culminate in a flight demonstration phase that has now been delayed by several years beyond original plans to fly in 2023.

Flights of the prototypes are now scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, wrapping up a year later, according to fiscal 2024 Army budget documents. The delays are due to issues the Army is having with its Improved Turbine Engine Program, the engine chosen for FARA.

The company will also continue its modernization of the Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters that will remain in service for decades as well as “future technology critical to mission readiness for the United States and Allied nations,” the Sikorsky statement added.….