"One of the pitfalls from the past was that we were focusing too much on national requirements instead of Alliance or coalition requirements," said Maj. Gen. Andre Steur, national capability director in the Dutch Defence Ministry.
"[I] don't want to oversell it. We got way more work to do than what wins we made, but those were very encouraging signs," said Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, director of the Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team.
Michigan’s defense ecosystem and expertise makes it a special asset for production.
"We'll basically be scrimmaging with our partners and allies," Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen.
The test flight included low-level flight operation and confined area landings, the design team said.
The goal of the demonstration was to show how integrated technologies and joint connectivity can support warfighters by providing actionable data and increased situational awareness, the company said.
In desert experiments, Army races to develop tactics for transferring data — and realizes high-def video can create potentially fatal data bottlenecks.
Project Convergence 21 showed off new, networked, autonomous capabilities to be added to next-gen helicopters.
"We're going to be flying in lower flight profiles than we have over the last 20 years in counterinsurgency operations and so, even today, we are changing the way we train Army aviators," said Maj. Gen. David Francis.
The S-97 Raider is Sikorsky's proto-prototype for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft. It's competing with the Bell 360 Invictus -- but unlike the S-97, the 360 isn't flying yet.
The Army has learned from the Comanche scout chopper debacle, where it spent $9 billion in today’s dollars to get just two prototypes. With Future Vertical Lift, $7 billion will get 18 prototype aircraft, counting both the FARA scout and FLRAA transport.
Blending superior optics, advanced stabilization and AI-powered autonomy in a compact and rugged system, ASELFLIR 600 delivers unmatched intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
“Shadow could never fly in this type of moisture, couldn’t even come close,” Brig. Gen. Walter Rugen said, but all four FTUAS candidates made it through the rain. The formal Army Requirements Oversight Council process begins in weeks.
New drones – launched by helicopters in flight and built by the Pentagon's Strategic Capabilities Office – will reach out “hundreds of kilometers.” Marine F-35s, 82nd Airborne troops, and Special Ops will also participate in exercise EDGE21.
Bell and Sikorsky have started building their competing prototypes for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) ahead of a Final Design Review in November. The vital digital architecture is still in development.
Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville and other top Army pilots say these new technologies, tactics, & training will keep aircraft alive against high-tech foes like Russia and China.