Jane Edwards
Aircraft manufacturers are working on modernization plans to keep the U.S. Army’s current fleet of helicopters flying for the next three to four decades even if the military branch intends to deploy two future vertical lift programs – Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft and Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft – by the early 2030s, Defense News reported Wednesday.
Boeing intends to equip the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter with an additional wing pylon to accommodate more weapons, including a directed-energy capability.
Jenny Walker, business development team lead for Boeing’s Apache program, said the company intends to integrate a new engine, dubbed Improved Turbine Engine Program, drivetrain and tail-rotor enhancements into Apache helicopters in the coming years to help enhance the aircraft’s operational capacity.
Lockheed Martin‘s Sikorsky subsidiary considers incorporating digital vehicle controls into UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to enable the integration of capabilities, such as the Matrix autonomy system, to help improve aircraft safety while allowing pilots to focus on the mission.
Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo said the subsidiary seeks to ensure that Black Hawk could operate alongside the FLRAA platform.
Sikorsky wants to “ensure they can interoperate — doesn’t mean they have to be the same, but they should be operating on the same open-system standard,” Lemmo said of Black Hawk and FLRAA.
