AVX Aircraft and L3 Technologies unveil their joint coaxial helicopter design for US Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft programme

AVX Aircraft and L3 Technologies unveil their joint coaxial helicopter design for
US Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft programme.

April 15, 2019 - The AVX Aircraft Company and L3 Technologies announced today their innovative compound coaxial helicopter (CCH) design, which is competing for Phase 1 of the U.S. Army Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA)-Competitive Prototype (CP) program competition.

According to the two companies, the innovative design solution will exceed the reconnaissance and light-attack mission of FARA with a high-performing and survivable platform. AVX-L3 CCH will meet 100 percent of mandatory requirements and exceed 70 percent of them. The CCH design, combined with rigorous engineering and production processes and certifications, will deliver a safe, performance-driven, affordable aircraft capable of operating in highly contested airspace and degraded environments for extended periods.

The companies said that the next-generation single-engine design, paired with a wing for lift during high-speed forward flight, provides leap-ahead capabilities in a faster, lighter and more lethal aircraft that requires less maintenance through its life cycle, featuring:

- A fly-by-wire, side-by-side cockpit optimized for pilot efficiency

- Two ducted fans that provide forward and reverse thrust for both high-speed operation and agility

- State-of-the-art modern open systems architecture (MOSA)-based digital backbone and avionics systems

- A small form factor that meets C-17 loading and Navy DDG shipboard size limits through manually folding blades and wings

- Modularity that provides for component reuse and a high degree of systems commonality across all of the U.S. Army capability sets

Scheduled for a production program start in 2024, the FARA aircraft will be an advanced, survivable and lethal solution with unmatched growth potential. The Army has named the FARA as a top modernization priority supported under the service’s new Futures Command structure.

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Source, Image: Business Wire