Army Must Rethink Rotorcraft Design

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Army Must Rethink Rotorcraft Design
Aviation Week's DTI | Bettina Haymann Chavanne | January 11, 2008

As the U.S. Army begins to shape its future concept of operations for vertical systems, the service needs to begin thinking more creatively about new designs and technology if it is to advance its rotorcraft capabilities, aviation program officer Paul Bogosian says.

"The concern is...we're fielding essentially the same kind of aircraft" with the same characteristics as in the past, Bogosian told the media at the Association of the U.S. Army's (AUSA) Aviation Expo in Arlington, Va., Jan. 10. "We've contributed to behavior in the industry where we've invested heavily in existing platforms or building new versions of existing platforms."

A Teal Group study on the world rotorcraft market essentially said the same thing in August 2007, calling the nature of Army procurement "completely derivative." The study pointed out Sikorsky's newest offering, the upgraded UH-60M, is a modernized Black Hawk, and Boeing's CH-47F is a modernized version of an aircraft from 1962. Army Aviation wants to "reawaken" a drive for new designs and technology, Bogosian said. "Compound helicopters, more speed, what kinds of requirements for lift are associated with a future force?" He added that it is important to answer those questions and then "align science and technology investments to pursue those needs."

Bogosian had hoped to make "a more dramatic impact" on Army aviation science and technology (S&T) spending in an upcoming Program Objective Memorandum (POM), but Army Aviation lacks the "clarity and force to do that" right now. Which, he said, is "not a bad thing, considering DOD's consideration of the Joint Heavy Lift," which could have the effect of defining the next set of technologies for the industry. By the 2012-2017 POM, Bogosian added, "we'll see a dramatic realignment of aviation S&T."


Article at: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,159824,00.html