Posted on 07/01/2002 7:24:14 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
The US Army has renewed its interest in acquiring new medium-lift transport aircraft to deliver future forces into battle and is engaged in discussions that may determine if and how the concept will move forward.The effort is not funded, a situation that has long stalled development of a future utility platform. However, the army is revising its ideas for the system to align it with its Objective Force plans and in doing so is grappling with issues concerning its missions and capabilities.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) and the rotorcraft industry have for some time been studying concepts for future intratheatre lift, an effort previously referred to as the Joint Transport Rotorcraft. Army wargames and analysis have found that the capability for vertical insertion into battle would be particularly useful for its Objective Force, which is being built around the goals of rapid deployment and fighting in a non-linear fashion.
The army is looking at intratheatre lift as it actively explores all lift options for its new ground platforms, the Future Combat Systems. The army now refers to the medium-lift concept as the Air Maneuver Transport ( AMT) and is drafting a mission need statement.
"We understand that we've got a requirement in the future. We're looking to define that requirement better and then we'll proceed," said Col Stephen Mundt, director of materiel at army headquarters. Col Mundt estimated that a programme could start by 2015.
The army sees great advantage in being able to rapidly deliver an FCS unit into theatre very close to the action, avoiding enemy anti-access measures, and then quickly fly it out once the mission is finished. There also is interest among some to look for more flexible capabilities than the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, although the army has sized its future platforms for the C-130 transport.
Another issue of concern is that the amount of US Air Force-supplied strategic airlift available to the army will be inadequate to rapidly move its new lighter units. Although the AMT has been focused on army-owned intratheatre lift, some ideas for it are running into the air force mission, particularly if the aircraft is capable of long-range lift from a base into theatre. Industry is not sure whether AMT platforms should be operated by army aviators or air force pilots.
Other details of the system yet to be determined include whether the AMT should be rotary wing, tiltrotor or near-vertical takeoff and landing. Funding will continue to be a problem for developing an AMT, especially with a number of other costly army aviation programmes on the horizon. Many observers say the only way for the DoD to afford such a new transport aircraft is to share it among the services, as was the original intention. The US Marine Corps is a possible customer, although it is not actively pursuing a programme.
The dearth of funding to date, which has focused largely on component technologies, has not stopped industry from pursuing its own ideas. Boeing is studying an Advanced Theater Transport that is similar to the tailless 'Super Frog' aircraft it promoted in 1999. It is a tiltwing platform with the cross-section of a C-17 that is able to land in a variety of conditions in a small area. The aircraft could provide a combination of strategic, theatre and vertical rotorcraft capability, said Chris Raymond of Boeing's Aircraft and Missiles.
Bell Helicopter Textron's quad tiltrotor has long been viewed as a likely candidate for a future transport platform. The company has suggested that parts taken from its V-22 Osprey tiltrotor programme could be used to build three quad-tiltrotor platforms as proof of concepts. Bell believes that an aircraft built with upgraded parts could be capable of vertical takeoff. Its fuselage is comparable to a C-130.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.