US Army Plans Rotorcraft Upgrades Under Budget Pressure.

The US Army must modernise its legacy helicopter fleet until its hoped-for Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme begins fielding in the 2030s, the army's senior aviation official said on 29 January.

US Army Plans Rotorcraft Upgrades Under Budget Pressure.

"That's 25 years … that we can't put at risk," said Major General Michael Lundy, the commander of the army's Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He added, however, that those modernisation needs are emerging at a time of increased fiscal constraint. "We are a large part of the army's budget, and I think it's clear every day that the value is there," he said. "But the army is under pressure, and we've got to live within our fiscal constraints."

The army is already fielding new Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters. A new digital cockpit is planned for Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters, and an Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) that will increase the range of both Apaches and Black Hawks is expected to begin its development phase later this year. An incremental upgrade strategy for Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopters is also under consideration, the general said.

The army plans to make up for such expenditures with an aviation restructure initiative (ARI) that has already met resistance on Capitol Hill. Maj Gen Lundy expressed confidence that lawmakers will allow the effort to continue after an independent commission studies it more closely. "If we don't do this, we're not going to be able to field all of the modernised aircraft that we've got to put in the hands of our soldiers," he said.

The army has already begun implementing one aspect of the plan - namely, divestment of the Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior armed reconnaissance helicopter. Under the ARI the Army National Guard's fleet of Apaches will be transferred to the active-duty army, where they will be paired with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to conduct the reconnaissance mission in addition to attack.

The army has said that an FVL programme will incorporate new technologies before fleet replacement begins sometime in the 2030s. The service is studying some new capabilities in its joint multi-role technology demonstrator (JMR-TD). Bell Helicopter and a Sikorsky-Boeing team are expected to showcase their offerings in 2017.