Optionally-Manned Flight Capabilities Sought

Optionally-Manned Flight Capabilities Sought

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The US Army wants to equip its future scout helicopter with mission systems such as a new 20mm cannon and technology for optionally-manned flight, according to a request for information (RFI) published by the Army. The Army is interested in a range of advanced capabilities to give pilots an edge as they penetrate enemy air defense networks, flying far faster than current Army aircraft.

The move follows the recent selection of the Bell Textron 360 Invictus and Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky Raider X for the final prototyping stage of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, or FARA. 

The aircraft is being designed under an effort to replace the retired OH-58 Kiowa and some AH-64 Apache helicopters.

FARA officials are Interested in navigational capabilities such as “Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED) assisted visual-based solutions for aerial navigation in GPS denied environments,” according to the request for information. Also sought are solutions and software applications that support “supervised autonomy/optionally-manned flight,” as well as technology to give pilots decision-aiding tools, such as voice activation for some systems, and other cueing capabilities.

Pilot heads-up or helmet-mounted displays will have to be high-definition, color-capable, and compatible with a night-vision device. The FARA will also be equipped with a 20mm cannon capable of providing a maximum of 360 degrees of azimuthal coverage and 60 degrees of elevation coverage, according to the RFI.

The Army is “particularly interested” in solutions that generate “minimal aerodynamic interference” to reduce drag, as the aircraft is being designed to fly at speeds of 200 miles per hour or more, according to military.com.