JMR (Joint Multi-Role) & FVL (Future Vertical Lift) Programs

[Scott Kenny]

That's an interesting question, isn't it? Right now, even though ships are often designed for two helicopters, it's typical to embark only one and use the other hangar for storage or other things. Occasionally, you do see a UAV in one side and a Seahawk in the other but not often (and I think Fire Scout is retiring soon without immediate replacement).

If you end up with a LAMPS successor that requires both manned and unmanned air vehicles, the whole system gets much more expensive and harder to sustain. Once upon a time, people talked about a typical UAS deployment being three drones in the footprint of one manned helo, but as the drones get bigger and more capable, it becomes clear that they will not be that compact or inexpensive.

I mean, the Fire Scout B was the smaller package there for sure, but it wasn't capable of carrying one of the bigger lightweight torpedoes. It could carry ~600lbs, but some marks of LWT are 800lbs.

And I still strongly suspect that the next airdropped torpedoes are going to be on the order of 1500lbs, basically Mk37s with probably OTTO fuel engines instead of batteries (or ultracapacitors in place of batteries).

But what's the upside of optional manning on a helicopter like this?

I guess you could automate the excruciating but stunningly boring task of VERTREP. But very few other missions seem like there would be a huge benefit, and the Mk1 eyeball remains a valuable sensor for maritime surface search.

Already been done by the Marines, with that Kaman K-MAX helo. So I'd fully expect that to be the primary optional manning mission.

I don't expect SAR or ASW to be optionally manned, just because humans on scene need less datalink bandwidth to see things. ASW possibly could be unmanned if you have the stable datalink. SAR absolutely requires a Rescue Swimmer and IIRC the Navy sticks a Corpsman onboard for initial treatment, so might as well give a pilot and copilot as well.

 

[yasotay]

Future Vertical Lift | Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman is supporting the U.S. Army as they modernize their aviation fleet ensuring that all future and enduring platforms are lethal and survivable in the Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) environment.

www.northropgrumman.com

Some interesting bits regarding the architecture that will be resident on the FLRAA vehicle.

 

[Grey Havoc]

The concept driving the Army’s air assault plans for the Indo-Pacific - Breaking Defense

In this op-ed, Rebecca Grant of the Lexington Institute explains why FLRAA will be a keystone for the Army's future in the Indo-Pacific.

breakingdefense.com

 

[fightingirish]

VFS Seminar: Military Rotorcraft Developments
The Vertical Flight Society's San Francisco Bay Area Chapter held a hybrid technical seminar on May 23, 2024. The event was held at the NASA Ames Research Center, Building 3, as well as Teams webmeeting, which was recorded on video. The title of the lecture was "The Future of Vertical Flight: US and International Military Rotorcraft Developments." It was given by Mike Hirschberg, Director of Strategy, Vertical Flight Society.

View: https://youtu.be/SkSv994e3oM?si=xjPpxBDvf2oyQuRw

 

[yasotay]

A great rundown by one of the biggest proponents of rotorcraft. His sentiments regarding the FARA decision are widely felt to be common.

 

[zevets]

A great rundown by one of the biggest proponents of rotorcraft. His sentiments regarding the FARA decision are widely felt to be common.

genuinely nice guy too.
made me understand why lobbyists are good investments - they're nice people who are passionate and knowledgeable about the subject