Just for clarification the first image Strehl posted is the SB>1 Defiant artist interpretation of what The joint venture between Boeing and Sikorsky for the JMR-M would look like in flight.
Pace of ambitious Army Future Vertical Lift project set by budget
30 OCTOBER, 2015
BY: JAMES DREW
WASHINGTON DC
The dawn of a new generation of military rotorcraft might seem close at hand with the US Army’s Joint MultiRole SB>1 Defiant and V-280 Valor technology demonstrators taking form, but the Pentagon is not hurrying to replace trusted airframes like the Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk or Boeing H-47 Chinook.
Science and technology officials connected to the prospective, army-lead Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme say bringing a completely new rotorcraft online requires substantial time and money, and most importantly, someone to request a new rotary wing airframe over an upgrade or life-extension of the current type. Today, there is no definitive requirement for FVL, except a general desire for greater range and speed.
FVL aims to deliver next-generation rotorcraft in light, medium and heavy-lift categories for all services, but Michael Fallon of the navy’s rotary wing science and technology office says military spending levels are the “huge determining factor” in deciding if and when long-serving aircraft types like H-1, H-60 and V-22 will be refreshed or replaced through FVL.
“It’s really going to depend on the programmes of record and if they’re going to sundown. That’s something for them to decide,” he said at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington this week. “We’ll see how this plays out.”
The Sikorsky/Boeing SB>1 Defiant
Boeing
There is concern among industry that the Defence Department is dragging its feet on FVL, with current targets estimating initial operational capability of a new mid-sized rotorcraft in the early 2030s. Sikorsky and Boeing are pursuing a propeller-pushed, coaxial rotor design (SB>1), while a Bell/Lockheed Martin V-280 team are backing third-generation tiltrotor technology.
Bell Helicopters says those Joint MultiRole-Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) teams are spending an “unsustainable” amount on their competing rotorcraft concepts – with industry investing $3 for every government dollar. Bell would prefer an IOC date closer to the mid-2020s for its tiltrotor concept.
FLV science and technology team leader Ned Chase says the FVL acquisition timeline is “still fluid” since there is no programme of record or dedicated funding for technology research.
He says the timeline could extend or contract depending on future budgets and needs, but the main goal right now is to mature FVL technologies to high readiness level by fiscal year 2022 in anticipation of a future requirement.
Chase says the substantial industry investment is “a heck of a bargain for the government,” and there is a willingness to compress the timeline, but current funding constrains make it difficult.
“That’s always a consideration because there’s probably a belief that the shorter the acquisition timeline the more money you can save,” he says. “I think that’s probably offset maybe by how much money you have and how much is available to you.”
SB>1 and V-280 are expected to fly in late 2017, with the JMR-TD programme running through 2019 to inform the requirements for FVL.
Chase says FVL must be a sustained science and technology effort with spinoffs throughout its timeline. “I would not suggest the technologies we’re looking for are particularly far term. I would say at farthest, maybe mid-term," he says.
The Bell/Lockheed Martin V-280 Valor
and adding to it.The competitors from Sikorsky-Boeing are also well on track with their product.
Sikorsky-Boeing wrap up SB-1 design review as Defiant takes form
17 FEBRUARY, 2016Sikorsky and Boeing are weeks away from completing the final design review of their jointly developed high-speed SB-1 Defiant prototype as Swift Engineering works toward delivery of the core airframe this summer.
BY: JAMES DREW
PHILADELPHIA
Conceived as a next-generation replacement for the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache, SB-1 is being pursued along with the Bell Helicopter V-280 for the US Army’s Joint Multi-Role (JMR) programme, which funds competing X-planes as a precursor to a Future Vertical Lift (FVL) acquisition.
Weighing in at 13.6t, SB-1 will have enough carrying capacity to transport four aircrew and 12 fully equipped troops in high, hot environments. Its pusher propeller will drive it to a top speed of 250kt.
In an interview at Boeing’s H-47 Chinook plant in Philadelphia last week, Boeing future vertical lift chief Pat Donnelly said most components of the rigid-rotor coaxial compound helicopter are already under construction and will start coming together later this year.
Donnelly says Swift Engineering of San Clemente, California will ship the core composite structure to Boeing's AH-64 Apache production plant inMesa, Arizona by mid-year for design limit testing, before it continues east to Sikorsky’s rotorcraft facility in West Palm Beach, Florida in the September timeframe.
“The aircraft will be stuffed with all the hydraulics and mechanical components,” says Donnelly. “It’ll undergo final assembly and we’ll fly it down there.”
Boeing/Sikorsky
The aircraft cleared its preliminary design review (PDR) in 2014 and design engineers are now making tweaks ahead of locking down the final configuration as part of the critical design review.
There have been no major design changes since PDR, says Donnelly. “We’re going to roll right past it,” he says. “We have so many parts in the works right now that this is just a culmination and validation that this design is complete.”
In terms of building the actual structure, the Sikorsky-Boeing team appears to be lagging Bell, which took delivery of its V-280 composite fuselage fromSpirit AeroSystems last year and is almost done assembling the wings and nacelles of its third-generation tiltrotor. The fuselage and the wings of the V-280 currently sit at opposite ends of Bell’s Amarillo, Texas plant where it completes assembly of the military AH-1Z, UH-1Y and V-22, as well as the commercial Bell 525.
However, Donnelly says SB-1 remains on track and will fly as planned in late 2017. “Team Defiant” has already established a fully functional systems integration laboratory and cockpit in Connecticut to test the software and flight controls and is beginning construction of the propulsion system test bed, or “Iron Bird”, at West Palm Beach.
“We anticipate having that running by the end of the year,” he says. “We’re starting to assemble that now and by fall we’ll start assembling the flight vehicle [for first flight in the third quarter of 2017].”
Future Vertical Lift-Medium is a new-start project in the army’s fiscal year 2017 budget submission and an acquisition plan will be considered by the Pentagon this October. SB-1 and V-280 are proof-of-concept demonstrators, but each side is continuously refining their ultimate FVL proposals as the technology as well as the army’s requirements and mission needs mature.
Boeing upbeat as US Army moves on Future Vertical Lift
15 FEBRUARY, 2016
BY: JAMES DREW
PHILADELPHIA
The US Army has moved forward with an ambitious project to introduce a next-generation family of rotorcraft designs with funding sought for Future Vertical Lift (FVL) in its fiscal year 2017 budget submission.
Future Vertical Lift-Medium is listed among 15 other “new start” projects in the budget submission sent to Congress on 9 February.
The proposed high-speed rotorcraft initiative has already inspired a competitive fly-off between the coaxial-pusher Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant and Bell Helicopter V-280 Valor tiltrotor. But the budget submission market the first time FVL-Medium received seed funding to create a programme office at the army's aviation headquarters in Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Boeing/Sikorsky
Boeing executives have welcomed the news, saying it allows the army to formulate an actual procurement plan and begin an analysis of alternatives (AOA). A so-called materiel decision document (MDD) will be considered and potentially signed by the US under-secretary of defence for acquisition sometime around October, giving life to what could become second largest joint procurement underneath the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
“Certainly from industry’s perspective, it’s a good step,” says Patrick Donnelly, director of Boeing future vertical lift. “Up until now, industry has been investing heavily and the fact they’re establishing a budget line is giving some excitement and relief to industry that this plan is going forward. There’s still a long way to go before it becomes a production programme, but this is certainly a very promising first step.”
If approved by Congress, FVL could initially produce mid-weight replacements for the long-serving Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing AH-64 Apache types. It might also spinoff a Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior armed aerial scout follow-on or heavy-lift Boeing CH-47 Chinook replacement.
“There are now five FVL mission sets,” says Donnelly. “We’ll learn which mission set they intend on developing.”
Bell Helicopter
Sikorsky and Boeing are pursuing their SB-1 Defiant compound coaxial helicopter, based on Sikorsky X2 and S-97 Raider technology, as a precursor for FVL under the army’s Joint MultiRole (JMR) technology demonstration. Bell, meanwhile, is pressing forward with its third-generation tiltrotor, which was also selected for the demonstration.
Both sides aim to achieve first flight in the third quarter of 2017.
“[FVL] is going to be one of the largest programmes we undertake [in the Office of the Secretary of Defence] minus the F-35 when you talk about the sheer number of aircraft we’re going to be replacing,” US army aviation centre of excellence commander Maj Gen Michael Lundy said at a conference in January.
“It’s going to continue to get a lot of visibility and right now the support’s pretty good. We have looked at our future investment strategies and FVL is affordable. As long as the budget doesn’t get any worse.”
U.S. Army Seeks Ideas On Medium-Lift, Scout/Attack FVL
Feb 24, 2016 | Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
Boeing/Sikorsky
In a surprise move, the U.S. Army is seeking information on a high-speed light scout/utility air vehicle as well as a medium-lift attack/transport rotorcraft under the ’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) “family of systems” initiative.
The Army on Feb. 22 released requests for information (RFI) for FVL Capability Set 1 (CS1) as well as the anticipated Capability Set 3 (CS3), also referred to as the FVL Medium and billed as replacing first the Black Hawk from the mid-2030s and then the AH-64 Apache.
Under the precursor to FVL Medium, the Joint Multi Role (JMR) technology demonstration, and Boeing/ are building transport-configured high-speed rotorcraft flight demonstrators that are scheduled to fly in late 2017.
The RFI describes CS1 as “the smallest, most agile air vehicle” in the FVL family, which will conduct “reconnaissance, light attack and light assault/lift operations.” The Army is seeking information on “commercial, commercial-modified, military or conceptual air vehicle technologies.”
Draft capabilities sought include “terrain-following/terrain-avoidance at speeds greater than 200 kt.” over a minimum unrefueled radius of 229 nm. The speed requirement rules out conventional helicopters, but can be met by Sikorsky’s coaxial rigid-rotor compound S-97 Raider.
Sikorsky designed the 220-kt. Raider to meet the Army’s Armed Aerial Scout requirement to replace the Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, but the procurement was shelved and the OH-58Ds are being retired and replaced with re-roled AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.
There are two industry-funded Raider prototypes. The first took to the air in May 2015 and is being used for envelope expansion. The second will be used for customer demonstrations, and Sikorsky is working with new owner to define the mission-system technologies to be demonstrated.
Other capabilities outlined for the six-passenger CS1 air vehicle include maneuver agility, hover out of ground effect (HOGE) at 6,000 ft. on a 95F day (called 6k/95), and a time on station of 2 hr. at 170 nm for the recon/attack mission and 30 min. at 229 nm for assault missions. Aerial refueling and shipboard capability are sought.
“There is no guarantee that the CS 1 program will advance to an acquisition phase based upon the results of the information provided by industry,” the RFI warns. “No determination of a path forward for CS 1 has been made at this time.”
The CS3 capability set encompasses the widest range of missions, now performed by the UH-60, HH-60, MH-60 and AH-64 which make up the bulk of the Pentagon’s helicopter fleet. The RFI says CS3 “is intended to be a versatile medium-lift air vehicle” and lists assault, attack, maritime interdiction, medical evacuation, tactical resupply and combat search-and-rescue among the intended roles.
The CS3 RFI focuses on technologies targeted for 2030 fielding, and draft capabilities outlined include a cruise speed of 230-310 kt., ruling out conventional helicopters. Bell’s V-280 Valor JMR demonstrator is a 280-kt. tiltrotor; Boeing/Sikorsky’s SB-1 Defiant is a 230-kt. coaxial rigid-rotor compound helicopter.
Other attributes sought are a 229-450-nm refueled radius, maneuver agility, 6k/95 HOGE, 3,500-4,000-lb. internal or 6,000-8,000-lb external payload, aerial-refueling capability and shipboard compatibility.
The CS3 RFI is described as market research in support of a material development decision (MDD) to launch an acquisition program. The Army’s fiscal 2017 budget request includes the first money for an FVL Medium procurement program.
The budget seeks $10.4 million to begin analysis of alternatives (AoA). The plans laid out sees the AoA continuing through fiscal 2018, leading to a Milestone A decision to launch technology development and release a request for proposals in fiscal 2019. Air-vehicle contract award is planned for fiscal 2021.
ITEP engine is top pick to power US Army's FVL Light
- 07 APRIL, 2016
- BY: JAMES DREW
- WASHINGTON DC
One of the competing 3,000shp (2,240kW)-class engines being developed by leading propulsion specialists could eventually power a next-generation light assault rotorcraft being considered by the US Army, despite being procured specifically to re-engine the Boeing AH-64E and Sikorsky UH-60M in the late 2020s.
The $10 billion Improved Turbine Engine Programme (ITEP) is currently in source selection and the army will contract two manufacturers later this year for an extensive technology maturation phase.
The leading contenders are GE Aviation's single-spool GE3000 and the dual-spool HPW3000 being pushed by the Advanced Turbine Engine Company (ATEC), a joint venture between Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney, but there could a third option, likely proposed by Turbomeca.
US Army
The ITEP acquisition seeks 68 engines during development and 6,215 through procurement, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report. But that number could rise if the army proceeds with a single- or twin-engined Future Vertical Lift (FVL) Light rotocraft.
According to the army’s joint FVL/ITEP programme office, ITEP engines will more than likely power a next-generation light attack/reconnaissance rotorcraft, like the one described in the army's "capability set one" request for information (RFI) published in February.
Sikorsky officials have already stated that any proposed derivative of the S-97 Raider, which targets that armed reconnaissance role, would be compatible with, if not powered by, an ITEP engine.
Speaking to Flightglobal this week, FVL/ITEP programme office chief Richard Kretzschmar said the active requirement is to replace GE T700-series engine that powers today's Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, but it could also power FVL “capability sets one and two".
“Right now, looking at the requirements for FVL, we think that it’s certainly a candidate,” he says.
Sikorsky S-97 Raider
Sikorsky
There is not currently a programme of record for the development and production of a larger engine type in the weight class associated with capability sets three to five, which includes FVL Medium.
Kretzschmar says that class of engine would use some components matured through ITEP and the Future Affordable Turbine Engine (FATE) project – a science and technology effort for 5,000-10,000shp-class turboshaft and turboprop engines.
The medium-class Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor prototype, for instance, is powered by two almost 5,000shp GE T64-419s, which also drive the heavy-lift Sikorsky CH-53. The Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant demonstrator is powered by the Boeing CH-47 Chinook’s Honeywell T55. Both prototypes will fly in 2017 and target the medium category.
Bell V-280 mock-up at Heli-Expo
James Drew/Flight International
Kretzschmar says even though technologies for an improved engine in that class are being worked on, “there’s not yet the business case" to develop, certify and procure it.
Kretzschmar could not say how engine readiness would factor in the upcoming decision on which class of FVL rotorcraft - light or medium - will be acquired first. Current plans would field ITEP in 2024 and achieve full-rate production by 2027. The first FVL variant would be ready in the late 2020s or early 2030s depending on the requirement and resources available.
GE has already proposed derivative of the GE38 that powers the US Marine Corps’ in-development Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, with improvements ported across from the FATE project. Another solution might come from a future re-engining of the Chinook.
GE and ATEC have already produced and tested two ITEP protoypes and those competing solutions will undergo a 24-month preliminary design phase if selected later this year.
DOD encouraged to speed up FVL and buy more V-22s
- 21 APRIL, 2016
- BY: JAMES DREW
- WASHINGTON DC
Congressional authorisers want the US Army to consider options for accelerating its Future Vertical Lift (FVL) effort and have also told the Air Force to consider buying more Bell-Boeing V-22 Ospreys.
The US House Armed Services panel on tactical air and land forces says in its mark of the fiscal year 2017 defence policy bill that current funding levels for FVL are “inadequate”.
The legislative proposal, which will be considered by the full committee on 27 April, seeks a briefing by the army on its FVL and Joint-MultiRole Technology Demonstrator efforts. That briefing would include a status report on the Bell V-280 Valor and Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant programmes as well as an analysis of “potential options and required resources” for accelerating FVL.
Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant JMR prototype
Sikorsky
The directive comes as the army seeks approval from the Pentagon to begin a programme of record for Future Vertical Lift, which aims to introduce a next-generation family of rotorcraft with approximately twice the speed and range of today’s types. An analysis of alternatives will begin next year, if approved.
“With the exception of the V-22 Osprey, all US rotorcraft deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan were designed during or before the Vietnam War,” the panel notes. “The committee continues to support the development of future vertical lift aircraft and encourages the department to expand the prototyping programme.”
US Navy will place its first order for CMV-22 variants for the sea-based logistics mission in FY2018
Bell-Boeing
Regarding the V-22, the committee has encouraged the Air Force to consider buying more CV-22Bs and to add those quantities to an upcoming third multi-year procurement starting in fiscal year 2018. The CV-22B variant supports long-range infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of US special forces, but Air Force Special Operations Command has almost received its full allotment of 52 aircraft.
Without another near-term order, though, V-22 production in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Amarillo, Texas will dip below its current rate of 24 aircraft per year until V-22 orders from the US Navy (48 units) and Japan (17) enter main assembly around 2019 and 2020.
According to budget documents, the flyaway cost of a V-22 is expected to jump 39% from $71 million now to $99 million by fiscal year 2020 as throughput whittles down.
According to the committee, it would be cheaper to buy CV-22s off the multiyear contract than if the USAF decided to buy a handful later. More orders now would have the added benefit of lowering the unit cost for the other US services and international customers.
70mm Hydra rocket firing in 2014
Bell Helicopter/Textron
The committee also wants V-22 operators to develop a unified plan for arming the Osprey with defensive weapons, like forward-firing, belly-mounted guns, rockets and missiles. In late 2014, Bell-Boeing demonstrated forward firing of the Raytheon BGM-176 Griffin B missile and BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, which uses 70mm laser-guided “Hydra” rockets. However, weapons integration is lower on US Naval Air Systems Command’s priority list than networking and communications gear, an improved engine inlet filter, ballistic protections, and a probe-and-drogue aerial refuelling system.
“The committee is concerned that given the emerging flexibility the V-22 has exhibited in multiple contingency and training operations, the aircraft may be unintentionally limited by its lack of defensive weapons and having to rely upon other airborne armed assets to provide escort during tactical airlift infiltration and exfiltration operations,” the legislation states.
