Boeing has taken the wraps off its closely held design for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, a new type of helicopter that’s being proposed as a replacement for the U.S. Army’s now-retired Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.
- The fly-by-wire, single-engine Boeing FARA would make use of a main rotor and a tail rotor, plus a pusher propeller at the back. Defense News quoted Boeing program manager Shane Openshaw as saying the propeller will provide “the speed and maneuverability that is needed to support the FARA requirements.”
- Boeing is hoping to build on its other successes in winning military contracts, including the T-7 Red Hawk training jet and the MQ-25 Stingray refueling drone. But the company has lots of competition for the FARA project, including Bell Helicopter; Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky subsidiary; a partnership between AVX Aircraft and L3 Technologies; and a team including Karem Aircraft, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.
- The Army is expected to pick two finalists later this month, and get prototypes into the air by 2023. Like the Kiowa scout helicopter, FARA is meant to provide the Army with advanced light attack and reconnaissance capability.
