Army US Army finalizes requirements for future attack reconnaissance aircraft

US Army finalizes requirements for future attack reconnaissance aircraft​

By: Jen Judson

An artist rendering of a Bell 360 Invictus attack reconnaissance helicopter in action in a multidomain fight. Bell revealed the helicopter design as its entry into the U.S. Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft competition Oct. 1, 2019. (Courtesy of Bell)​

UPDATE — This story has been updated to clarify the nature of the AROC decision.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army’s Requirements Oversight Council has approved the requirements for its Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, a service spokesman confirmed to Defense News.
The council met April 9 and greenlighted the requirements in the form of an Abbreviated Capabilities Development Document (A-CDD) that validates the designs developed by two companies competing to build the aircraft.
The Army validated a Final Design and Risk Review (FD&RR) for the competing FARA designs in December. It determined that industry is ready for a fly-off at the end of 2022, Rugen told Defense News in an interview earlier this year.


Sikorsky pitched a coaxial rotor blade design based on its S-97 Raider that it is calling Raider X. Bell unveiled its design — the 360 Invictus — at the 2019 Association of the U.S. Army annual conference.