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Russia Makes US Army Dump Its Multi-Billion FARA Helicopter Program After Mere 6 Years Of Initiating It

Within six years of initiating it, the US Army has shelved the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program to develop next-generation armed scout helicopters.

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The announcement of abandoning the program, which cost the service $2 billion, was made on February 8, 2024. Army Chief of Staff General Randy George said, “We are learning from the battlefield – especially in Ukraine – that aerial reconnaissance has fundamentally changed.”

He further explained, “Sensors and weapons mounted on a variety of unmanned systems and in space are more ubiquitous, further reaching, and more inexpensive than ever before.”

The Army announced it would expand its expenditure on uncrewed aircraft following a “sober assessment of the modern battlefield.”

The decision has been taken despite the service betting big on the program which was launched as far back as 2018. Two contenders were in the fray for the FARA contract, including Sikorsky’s Raider X and Bell’s 360 Invictus.

The prototypes of the helicopter produced by Sikorsky and Bell were anticipated to fly sometime in 2024 until the announcement by the service changed everything.

In a statement after the announcement, Sikorsky claimed that their FARA program-designed X2 aircraft provided “speed, range, and agility that no other helicopter in the world can match.

“We remain confident in X2 aircraft for U.S. and international mission needs now and in the future,” Sikorsky said. “We are disappointed in this decision and will await a U.S. Army debrief to better understand its choice.”




Future Vertical Lift: RAIDER X® | Lockheed Martin
File Image: RAIDER X

The announcement has surprised many since budget documents revealed that the service was reportedly seeking an additional $5 billion for funding the program in the next five years. Some have gone so far as to say that this may be the biggest abandonment of a military program in over a decade.

Before the announcement, Army officers briefed a small group of reporters on the rationale behind abolishing FARA: it reflects the nature of battle in the modern day. Although several US service officials have iterated that they need to produce attritable aircraft and drones for reconnaissance as well as combat, the shelving of a very ambitious and promising helicopter has come as a surprise.

The Ukraine war saw a massive loss of helicopters on both sides. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces have deployed tactics centered on keeping military choppers as safe as possible.

Also, the Ukraine war has brought attention to both the perils and the utility of different drone classes in combat. Even before Russia launched its full-scale invasion, the Army was eager to acquire a variety of advanced aerial drones, including air-launched models that can function as networked swarms.




Bell 360 Invictus

Since its main adversary is China, a very well-defended state, there has been contemplation of using cheap drones to exhaust its A2/AD capability.

Army Futures Command Gen. James Rainey stated that although the Army still needs a capability similar to FARA, the service does not intend to begin another manned Kiowa replacement project as it has in the past.

Instead, it will allocate resources elsewhere, particularly in the unmanned domain, to enable the Kiowa to perform the function of an armed scout leading other units in combat zones.

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