Future Vertical Lift

Future Vertical Lift (FVL) is a plan to develop a family of military helicopters for the United States Armed Forces. Five different sizes of aircraft are to be developed, sharing common hardware such as sensors, avionics, engines, and countermeasures. The U.S. Army has been considering the program since 2004. FVL is meant to develop replacements for the Army's UH-60 Black Hawk, AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook, and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters. The precursor for FVL is the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) helicopter program.

Overview

Summary

After a decade of combat from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. Department of Defense found that the U.S. Army's rotorcraft fleet was wearing out. Combat operations made the helicopters fly five times more often than in peacetime. Manufacturers have been remanufacturing and upgrading existing families of aircraft without creating original platforms. The Future Vertical Lift (FVL) concept is to create a new rotorcraft that uses new technology, materials, and designs that are quicker, have longer range and higher payload capacity, are more reliable, easier to maintain and operate, have lower operating costs, and can reduce logistical footprints. FVL is to create a family of systems to replace most Army helicopters. The Joint Multi-Role (JMR) phases will provide technology demonstrations. JMR-TD will develop the aerial platform; JMR Phase I will develop the air vehicle; JMR Phase II will develop mission systems. The Army plans to acquire as many as 4,000 aircraft from the FVL program.. The Army started an FVL engine program in 2016.

Future Vertical Lift was established in 2009 as an initiative, not yet a solution,Drwiega, Andrew.
Proceed with Caution: JMR Tech Demo Phase 1
" ''Aviation Today'', 1 November 2013. Accessed: 18 October 2014. by the Secretary of Defense to focus all DoD vertical lift capabilities and technology development, as well as retaining long-term engineering capabilities. In October 2011, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued the FVL Strategic Plan to outline a joint approach for the next generation vertical lift aircraft for all military services. The Strategic Plan provided a foundation for replacing the current fleet with advanced capability by shaping the development of vertical lift aircraft for the next 25 to 40 years. It indicates 80 percent of decision points for the DoD vertical lift fleet to either extend the life, retire, or replace with a new solution occurring in the next eight to ten years. Implementation of the FVL Strategic Plan will impact vertical lift aviation operations for the next 50+ years.. The United States Navy is a partner to the Army on the effort, so a derivative of FVL may be used in the Navy's MH-XX program to replace the service's MH-60S/R helicopters.

Configurations

Three sizes were planned in 2009, then four and five (which may or may not be of the same design) are envisioned to replace 25 current rotorcraft types:
* JMR-Light: Scout version to replace the OH-58 Kiowa; introduction planned for 2030. Implemented as the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program in 2018.
* JMR-Medium-Light
* JMR-Medium: Utility and attack versions to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache; introduction was planned for 2030. Implemented as the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program in 2019.
* JMR-Heavy: Cargo version to replace the CH-47 Chinook; introduction planned for 2035, although Boeing expects 2060.
* JMR-Ultra: New ultra-sized version for vertical lift aircraft with performance similar to fixed-wing tactical transport aircraft, such as the C-130J Super Hercules and the Airbus A400M Atlas; introduction planned for 2025.

According to the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, three different configurations of JMR aircraft – a conventional helicopter, a large-wing slowed rotor compound helicopter, and a tiltrotor – were being studied as of April 2013.

Design requirements

Although requirements are still being refined, the notional concept for a new aircraft must reach speeds of , carry up to 12 troops, operate in "high-hot" conditions at altitudes of and temperatures of , and have a combat radius of with an overall unrefueled range of . Mission sets are to include cargo transport, utility, armed scout, attack, humanitarian assistance, medical evacuation, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, land/sea search and rescue, special warfare support, vertical replenishment, airborne mine countermeasures, and others. The FVL family of aircraft will be required to have either optionally piloted or autonomous flight capabilities.

In March 2013, the Army asked the industry to submit proposals for an effort called the Alternative Engine Conceptual Design and Analysis. Although formal requirements for the FVL family of systems had not yet been set, they will need to have hover, speed, range, payload, and fuel efficiency characteristics "beyond any current rotorcraft". This may require an aircraft that can hover at and cruise at . Capabilities include good hover maneuverability at high altitude.

The engine will require alternative, advanced engine/power system configurations that enable enhanced mission capability, such as improved time on station, increased mission radius, and quieter operation. Due to the different configurations of the airframe, power outputs from to are being studied. One to four companies can be awarded a contract with work completed in 18 months.

Lockheed Martin is developing a single "common missions system" that could be integrated into FVL light, medium, heavy, and ultra-heavy aircraft. The system could save the Army billions of dollars over the course procurement and sustainment, eliminating the need to train maintenance staff, trainers, and personnel in multiple systems. One component is a helmet derived from the one used on the F-35 Lightning II using distributed aperture technology that uses integrated sensors to enable pilots to view "through" the aircraft.

JMR competitors

Bell

Bell Helicopter proposed a third-generation tiltrotor design for the FVL program, which was ultimately selected for the FLRAA contract award. Bell sought partners for financial and technological support, although the company did not require assistance. In April 2013, Bell revealed its tiltrotor design, named the Bell V-280 Valor. It is designed to have a cruise speed of , range of , and a combat range of .

It features a V-tail, a large cell carbon core wing with a composite fuselage, triple redundant fly-by-wire flight control system, retractable landing gear, and two side doors for ease of access. The V-280 is unusual in that only the rotor system tilts, but not the engines. The planned demonstrator is medium-size and carries four crew members and 14 troops. It is to be built at 92 percent scale or larger.Sikorsky Moves X2 Technology Up A Size For JMR
''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', 4 November 2013. Accessed: 22 June 2014
Archived
on 22 June 2014. Bell says they are investing four times the government's amount.Drwiega, Andrew.

''Aviation Today'', 1 July 2014. Accessed: 4 July 201

on 3 July 2014.

Bell has suggested that their design could be ready for other services' helicopter replacement programs before the Army is ready to award a bid. On December 5, 2022, the Army selected Bell Textron for the FLRAA contract award.

Sikorsky/Boeing

The SB-1 Defiant (or "SB>1") is the Sikorsky Aircraft and Boeing entry for the program. It is a compound helicopter with rigid coaxial rotors and two Honeywell T55 engines. Its first flight took place in March 2019.

Defiant X variant

In January 2021, Sikorsky-Boeing announced the Defiant X variant, specifically designed for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program. In February 2022, Sikorsky-Boeing picked Honeywell's new HTS7500 turboshaft engine, which will replace the Honeywell T55 engine that powered the SB-1 Defiant technology demonstrator platform informing the Defiant X offering. The HTS7500 is rated at 7,500 horsepower and is 42% more powerful with an 18% reduction in specific fuel consumption and weighs less than the T55 engine.

Former competitors

;AVX
AVX Aircraft proposed an aircraft with their coaxial rotor and twin ducted fan design that provides better steering and some additional forward power."Future Vertical Lift Takes Step Forward"
. Nationaldefensemagazine.com, April 2013 Their JMR-TD is to be built at 75% scale. It is capable of flying at , with 40% lift from the small forward wings and 60% from the rotors. Half the drag of the design comes from the fuselage and half from the rotor system, so wind tunnel tests are aiming to reduce drag by a third. The rotor system has two composite-flexbeam hubs with drag-reducing aerodynamic fairings on the blade cuffs and the mast between the hubs.The Other JMR/FVL Contenders
– Aviationweek.com, 12 April 2013 The medium-sized version is proposed to weigh , carry four crew and 12 troops, and have a external lifting capacity.

It has a cabin, which is twice the interior size of the UH-60 Black Hawk, and has an internal lifting capacity. The aircraft can carry 12 NATO litters, have an auxiliary fuel system for self-deployment over distances, and is planned to be capable of being optionally manned. The utility and attack versions will have 90% commonality and fly at the same speed. Test aircraft will be equipped with current GE T706 engines, but AVX is looking to equip their design with the Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine with its higher output. AVX has teamed with Rockwell Collins, General Electric, and BAE Systems. It features entry doors on both sides of the fuselage with a large rear ramp for easy cargo handling. Both versions have retractable landing gear, and the attack variant carries all armaments stored inside until needed to provide a clean aerodynamic design.

The company refers to the unnamed concept as an "innovative compound coaxial helicopter" capable of achieving 80 percent of the speed of the V-22 Osprey at half the cost. It will be able to hover at in temperatures of and fly unrefueled from Travis Air Force Base in California to Hawaii, a distance of . AVX considers its position as a smaller company (with 25 employees, some of which worked on the V-22) to its advantage without a legacy or burden of overhead attributes like larger defense corporations; if selected to supply an aircraft, AVX will likely have a teaming arrangement with another company that can handle assembly, integration, and production support. Like Sikorsky, AVX considers coaxials as unsuitable for heavy-lift, and suggests their tiltrotor instead for Capability Set 4 (Chinook replacement).

;Karem
Karem Aircraft proposed to design an optimum-speed tiltrotor (OSTR), designated the TR36TD demonstrator. It would have had twin variable-speed rotors powered by existing turboshaft engines. The production version of the TR36D would have had a level flight speed of . Karem says its variable-speed OSTR configuration offers advantages in weight, drive train, and aerodynamic and propulsive efficiency. It has high speed, "robust" hover performance at altitude, higher climb rate and sustained maneuverability, and longer range than other vertical-takeoff-and-landing configurations. They also say it offers reduced complexity, inherent safety advantages, simplified maintenance, and low total ownership cost.Karem Unveils Variable-Speed Tiltrotor For U.S. Army JMR Demo
– Aviationweek.com, 2 October 2013 , Karem continues to work on versions of the TR36, intending to start testing rotors around 2018.

Other entries

EADS was planning to submit a proposal for the JMR Phase I demonstration, expected to have been based on the Eurocopter X³, but withdrew in late May 2013 because Eurocopter might have to transfer X³ intellectual property to the US, and to focus on its bids for the Armed Aerial Scout program (later cancelled). The company also said the cost of developing a high-speed rotorcraft was far greater than the $75 million funding that would have been awarded. The EADS proposal was not totally based on the X3 design, but did leverage aspects of its technology. EADS may re-submit its proposal for FVL when the Army creates specific requirements.Majumdar, Dave.
Cost drove EADS from US Army rotorcraft demonstration
13 June 2013. Accessed: 17 June 2014
Archived
on 12 May 2014

Piasecki Aircraft was bidding its PA61-4 Advanced Winged Compound (AWC). The full-compound version was planned to fly at and used their vectored-thrust ducted propeller (VTDP), flown previously on the Piasecki X-49. It propelled the aircraft and had a long-span wing for lift and anti-torque. The wing pivoted in pitch for addition flight control and to reduce rotor download in the hover. Removing the wing but retaining the VTDP produced the thrust compound version, which could be used for shipboard operations. Replacing the VTDP with a conventional tail rotor produced the version, which was slower but was lighter, cheaper, and could better handle external-lift or vertical-replenishment missions. The Piasecki entry was not selected for the Joint Multi-Role phase of the program.AVX joins Bell, Sikorsky/Boeing for Army's JMR-TD development
– Flightglobal.com, 6 June 2013 , Piasecki has other funding to update the X-49, and intends to offer a winged compound helicopter design for FVL.

Development

Joint Multi-Role

On 5 June 2013, Bell announced that its V-280 Valor

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