Boeing FARA (Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft)

History

The U.S. Army has issued a FARA ("Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft") request for a successor to its Boeing AH-64E Apaches currently on armed reconnaissance missions. The role once fell to the Light Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, which was retired in 2014.

Both the Boeing RAH-66 "Comanche" stealth helicopter and the Bell ARH-70 "Arapaho" were developed for the role, but both were canceled at various points in the schedule.

Boeing's entry shows a shadow of the discontinued RAH-66 stealth helicopter in 2004: its design is sleek and streamlined, with a low-mounted main rotor blade assembly, a weapons bay inside the fuselage and a well - Contoured engine air intakes. The two crew members sat in a typical tandem fashion, with the pilot in the rear cockpit and the weapons officer in the front. In the "chin" position is a three-barreled Gatling-style automatic cannon mounted on a trainable stand, enabling the helicopter to engage lightly armoured ground targets from a variety of angles.

For more powerful ground targets, the internal weapons bay is outfitted with 2 x AGM-114 Hellfire Anti-Tank Missiles (ATGM) per housing to provide lethal fire at long range.

Like other FARA entries, Boeing's proposal is a "composite" arrangement using standard main rotor and tail rotor units on the port side. In addition to this, there is an "engine" unit in a "slider" configuration that provides the required performance for this fast reconnaissance aircraft.

To maintain aerodynamic efficiency, the wheeled "trail" landing gear is fully retractable, and the missile weapon remains fully internal when needed, providing zero drag for straight-line action.

The main rotor blades consist of a six-bladed assembly located under the fuselage, while the tail rotor holds four, and the drive unit has four later. All are powered by a single-engine assembly buried in the helicopter's fuselage.

The end result is a helicopter with fixed-wing performance while retaining its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities.

Internally, the aircraft is said to be controlled by a state-of-the-art digital fly-by-wire (FBW) system that provides the agility and maneuverability required to operate in low-altitude contested airspace. Controls are removed, allowing either cockpit position to steer the aircraft as needed. Due to its lightweight design, the cockpit provides excellent visibility, which, combined with advanced onboard systems, increases crew and machine survivability. Additionally, the open architecture approach allows the cockpit to be configured according to mission requirements and future growth.

Pilots have access to a fully modern touchscreen environment for ease of use.

The competitive take-off phase of the FARA program is planned for 2023, with operational capability sometime in 2028. Competition came from AVX, Bell, Karem / Northrop / Raytheon and Sikorsky.

Boeings additions include defense companies AvioniX and Aurora Flight Sciences, and will be led by Boeing Phantom Works.

Specification

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PERFORMANCE

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