Boeing Unveils Helicopter Design for Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft Competition

Boeing has revealed its fly-by-wire design of a helicopter the company intends to offer in the U.S. Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program.

The Chicago-based plane maker said Tuesday its offering to the FARA prototyping competition is designed to have a single engine, tandem seating configuration, a cockpit with large area display and autonomous systems and a thrust-compounded main rotor system that house six blades.

The company aims to help address the service branch's light attack and reconnaissance requirement with a platform that incorporates long-range firing and air-launching features.

“We listened to the Army, assessed all alternatives, and optimized our design to provide the right aircraft to meet the requirements,” said Shane Openshaw, FARA program manager at Boeing.

The Army introduced the FARA program to identify a replacement for the branch's OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter platform.