The pace of scheduled milestones on the U.S. Army's complex course for ushering two advanced rotorcraft designs into service in fiscal 2030 resembles a proverbial path to bankruptcy: slow at first, then all at once. By late 2023, the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) family of systems will be entering sprint mode, with twin competitions nearing decision points about which designs will enter a five-year, full-scale development phase. Until then, the intervals between milestones are longer-but with no less significance. Over the next two years, the Army must finalize the designs of four airframes, one new tur-boshaft and a common mission systems architecture. At the same time, those designs must prove, via flying demonstrators and simulated copies, that the Army's grand strategy to recapitalize the armed scout and transport fleets is technically feasible and, not least, affordable. Twelve months after selecting two competitors for each FVL competition, Army officials say both new rotorcraft programs are moving along on track or slightly ahead of schedule.
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