In our last paper, we discussed the current state of the U.S. vertical lift fleet and how past investment decisions helped shape this fleet. This brief will focus on future investments. Vertical lift aircraft are a substantial part of the U.S. military, both in terms of fleet size and investment levels. Helicopters and tiltrotors make…
FVL is the U.S. military’s main effort to deliver generational change to its fleet of vertical lift aircraft. Compared to today’s aircraft, FVL is expected to provide substantially better speed and range. The approach is comprehensive.
In an environment where budgetary concerns are high, it is normal to consider cost-saving operations. However, this piece explains why it is a bad idea to combine multiple defense acquisition programs with unproven technologies into one program as an attempt to cut cost in defense acquisition.