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             Congressional Research Service


             Ino rmint e  leislatiel  ift  since  114




Army Future Vertical Lift (FVL) Program


The major combat rotorcraft platforms in U.S. inventory-
the Chinook, Black Hawk, Apache, and Kiowa  Warrior-
are based on designs from the 1960s and 1970s. While
several are still in production or remanufacture, the Army is
leading DOD's  effort to move to a new generation of
rotorcraft technology.

The Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program is a research and
development effort dedicated to discovering, investigating,
and refining the technologies that is to provide the next
generation of vertical lift aircraft for the United States
Armed  Forces. According to the Army, the goal of the
program is to develop technologies that improve
maneuverability, range, speed, payload, survivability,
reliability, and reduced logistical footprint compared with
current rotorcraft.

The Army  lists FVL as one of its top six modernization
priorities. The Marine Corps and Navy also plan to use
FVL-derived  technology in their next-generation rotorcraft.
Although the FVL  effort is intended to benefit all services,
and elements of the work are joint, the Army is the lead
service, and most funding for the program is included in the
Army's  R&D  budget.

FVL  is in a fairly early stage, and aircraft likely to result
from this program's work are not expected to be operational
until the early 2030s. However, in April 2018, then-Army
Secretary Mark Esper directed the FVL team to determine
whether promising technologies could be incorporated into
a new aircraft within 10 years.

History
FVL  officially began in 2009, and the strategic plan for the
project was issued in October 2011. The pace of work has
varied over time due to shifting Army budget priorities.

The Army  is also resolving an internal debate as to its
priorities. While the FVL development focus had been on
the medium-lift Black Hawk helicopter replacement, Army
officials have more recently noted a larger capability gap in
the attack/reconnaissance fleet, and are considering whether
to shift focus to that smaller platform.

FVL  is currently looking at five basic categories (or
capability sets) of aircraft varying in size, but the initial
foci are a medium transport platform capable of succeeding
the Army UH-60  Black Hawk  and Marine H-1 Huey
utility helicopters-the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft
(FLRAA)-and a scout   platform roughly in the role of the
current Apache, now called the Future Attack and
Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA). Heavy-lift variants may
follow.


Updated April 28, 2020


F LRAA
Bell and Sikorsky (with Boeing) have produced
demonstrators for FLRAA. The  two companies are taking
different technology approaches to their efforts. The Bell
V-280  (Figure 2) is a tiltrotor aircraft like the V-22 Osprey,
with engines and rotors at the end of its wings that swivel.
The Sikorsky/Boeing SB-1 (Figure 3) is a compound
helicopter, using twin coaxial rotors to provide lift and a
pusher propeller to enhance speed.

Figure  I. FLRAA  Schedule
                                Star          End











Source: FY2021 budget submission for Research, Development,
Test & Evaluation, Army.
In the FY2020 Defense Appropriation Act, Congress added
$75.6 million for competitive demonstration and risk
reduction (CD&RR)  in FVL, focused on FLRAA.  The main
step from technology demonstrators to competitive aircraft,
CD&RR will   be a two-year effort designed to prepare the
competing systems for projected contract award in the
second quarter of FY2022. On March 18, 2020, the Army
granted Bell and Sikorsky CD&RR  project agreements.


Figure 2. Bell V-280 Valor


Source: Bell.


https://crsreports.congress.gov

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