Posted on 05/11/2025 3:59:20 PM PDT by Libloather
It’s a plane. It’s a helicopter. It’s both. Meet "FLRAA," the Army’s new tiltrotor for Future Long-Range Air Assault. This is how the Army will island hop in the Pacific to fend off China. And by the way, Chinese President Xi Jinping has nothing like it.
With a stunning announcement, the Army did more than ax 40 generals and open the door to AI. The Army bet its future on this radical aircraft, whose engines swivel to take off and land like a helicopter, or fly high and fast like an airplane.
This aircraft was on pace to enter the Army inventory in the early 2030s.
Then came the Army shake-up. On May 1, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the Army to focus more on the Indo-Pacific. In that region, sheer distance and Chinese missile threat rings are locking out current helicopters. For the mission of air assault – when troops move into hostile and contested areas by rotary-wing aircraft – the hard truth is that the Army has a looming capability gap.
"We can't actually do the large-scale, long-range air assault today" with the speed and distance required in modern warfare, Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, said last year.
That’s unacceptable, given Xi’s growing appetite for military confrontation.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
For one thing, they'd have to give up all those cool golf courses..
Doesn’t need a double engine failure to kill everyone one board.
Yeah, but the one on the right is armor-piercing.
A good question: jet engines work using the thrust of the engine itself to provide lift. It's inefficient, very sensitive to throttle settings and REALLY noisy. Rotors, on the other hand are more fuel-efficient, far less throttle position sensitive, much less noisy, and when well-engineered, handle transition between hovering and high-speed level flight much better that a pure lift jet engine, particularly in the thicker air of lower altitudes.
Or some more Spitfires - also proven technology …
Or some more Ben Hur Chariots - also proven technology.
oh wait.
How dare you use facts. Thanks for the tech briefing.
What about an a10 like plane with vectored thrust jet engine. Could float like a butterfly, take off like a banshee...I’ve seen a jump jet do that...why not the a10....could be remote controlled...
Right, looks bad.
I love the A10 but its capacity for carrying troops is limited.
Rotors give downthrust without the heat.
The A-10 can't carry troops and it can't land like a helicopter.
Thank you; fungi know nothing about aircraft—so long as they have no fungal contamination....
The V-22 Osprey and the FLRAA Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft are both tiltrotor aircraft, but they serve different roles and have distinct capabilities.
Here’s a comparison...
V-22 Osprey
Primary Function: Amphibious assault transport of troops, equipment, and supplies from assault ships and land bases.
Range and Speed: The Osprey has a range of about 1,000 nautical miles and a cruise speed of around 240 knots.
Operational History: The Osprey has been in service since 2007, with a history of technical challenges and safety concerns. Despite these issues, it has demonstrated significant capabilities in various missions, including disaster relief and special operations.
Current Status: Production of the Osprey is winding down, with the final CV-22 Osprey for the U.S. Air Force rolling off the production line in April 2025. However, the production line will continue to operate through 2027 due to new orders from the U.S. Navy.
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FLRAA . Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft
Range and Speed: The FLRAA, based on the V-280 Valor demonstrator, has a cruise speed of 280 knots and a ferry range of 2,100 nautical miles, doubling the speed and range of the UH-60M Black Hawk.
**Design and Capabilities** The FLRAA incorporates lessons learned from the V-22 Osprey, with improvements in design and technology. Key differences include a fixed engine design, a different clutch mechanism, and a V-tail configuration.
Modularity and Upgradability: The FLRAA is designed with the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), allowing for easier and faster integration of new capabilities and technologies.
Future Prospects: The first FLRAA prototype is expected to be delivered to the U.S. Army in 2026, with initial production and fielding planned for 2030. The aircraft is expected to be a game-changer for Army aviation, introducing new operational capabilities and requiring a shift in training and tactics.
" up to 16,000 pounds of mixed ordnance"...snip..."GAU-8/A Avenger 30 mm seven-barrel Gatling-style autocannon, which is mounted on the nose of the aircraft. This cannon is designed to fire armor-piercing depleted uranium and high explosive incendiary rounds. The A-10 can also carry a variety of mixed ordnance on eight under-wing and three under-fuselage pylon stations, including Mk-82 and Mk-84 series low/high drag bombs, incendiary cluster bombs, combined effects munitions, mine dispensing munitions, AGM-65 Mavericks, and AIM-9 Sidewinders."
Tilt!
You need to know nothing about helicopters to see that the Defiant X was the clear winner to replace the Blackhawk, in size and performance and sustaining costs. This is another total debacle waiting to happen. Way too sophisticated and expensive for what was needed.
Tilt rotors....
“10,000 parts rotating around an like leak.”
“So it’s another Osprey”
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Way different than an Osprey in size, range, and speed. It’s also a lot cheaper.
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