Introduces FLRAA to Get ‘Twice as Far, Twice as Fast’

The US Army recently introduced its new Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). The rotorcraft aims to replace parts of the existing UH-60 Black Hawk fleet and expand the reach of the Army’s Air Assault.

The FLRAA, a medium-lift, tilt-rotor aircraft, will improve combat brigades' capabilities in long-range, high-speed missions. It will serve in the air-ground littoral (AGL), or the low chunk of airspace that covers Army operations.

The aircraft got to show off its long-range capabilities in a recent exercise. It transported a combat team from Fort Campbell in southern Kentucky to Fort Johnson, Louisiana, marking a total of 575 miles. The mission required two support sites, six arming and refueling checkpoints, and upwards of 1,000 soldiers to provide security and assistance. It took three nights to complete.

“We’re watching the very nature of warfare change,” expressed Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the Fort Novosel Army Aviation Center of Excellence. “The speed of technology is absolutely meteoric.”

The Army hopes to eventually reach an even bigger milestone, delivering one combat team 500 miles in just one night. This would allow brigades to get behind enemy lines for sustained combat operations. While the UH-60 fails to hold ground on this standard, simulations show that the FLRAA could dominate it by transporting teams 575 miles in one night.

The FLRAA’s expected performance will also significantly improve the Army’s capacity for transporting and protecting combat casualties. It will more efficiently clear critically injured and fallen soldiers from the battlefield and get them further away without needing to stop for fuel.

The Army launched the FLRAA program in 2019. In December 2022, it awarded the program contract to Bell Texton’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor. The branch then approved Milestone B, allowing Bell to assemble six prototypes and prepare for  Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP), in August 2024. FLRAA is slated to become operational in 2030, despite tests not being expected until 2027 or 2028.

FMI: www.army.mil