MOSCOW, May 15 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. "Our helicopters are not suitable for war," the Pentagon came to this conclusion after analyzing the conflict in Ukraine. An unexpected problem was discussed at the conference of the American Army Aviation Association. About how it is going to be solved — in the material of RIA Novosti.
Extend the resource
The American Army has the largest helicopter fleet. According to the annual bulletin of The Military Balance, the ground forces have more than 700 AH-64 Apache attack aircraft, about 2,200 medium military transport UH-60 Black Hawk of various modifications and 450 heavy CH-47 Chinhook. And this is not counting several hundred light cars.
The Pentagon has been actively using army aviation in armed conflicts since the Vietnam War.
American military helicopter Image source: CC BY-SA 2.0 / U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron D. Allmon II / A HH-60H Seahawk helicopter
One of the main problems of the helicopter fleet, the military calls the large age of the equipment — about 40 years "on average in the hospital." Taking into account the constant operation around the world, the technical condition of the machines raises serious concerns.
There is not enough repair capacity, and new helicopters will not appear until the 2030s. Therefore, the resource should be stretched for several decades.
"Apache and Black Hawk helicopters will last at least 30-40 years," explained Army Chief of Staff James McConville at the conference. — The same applies to the CH-47 Chinook. They will be decommissioned in 2060. However, over time, they will all take their place in museums, like their predecessors UH-1 Huey, OH-58 Kiowa Warrior and AH-1 Cobra."
In turn, Major General of the Army Mac McCurry stressed that in the future the army aviation fleet may not be as numerous as it is today. A more modern model will replace several helicopters of the previous generation in the ranks at once. While the Pentagon is waiting for the development programs of promising technology to reach the stage of testing pre-production prototypes.
To replace the "Black Hawks"
The project, designed to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk military transport in the troops, is called Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (a promising long-range assault aircraft). Sikorsky, Boeing and Bell Textron have been fighting for the contract since 2019. She won — in December, the army chose the V-280 Valor tiltrotor project as an alternative to the Black Hawks.
Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor Image Source: CC BY-SA 4.0 / Danazar /
The V-280 is a cross between a helicopter and an airplane. This is a rotary-wing aircraft with rotary engines. When lifted off the ground, they work as rotors, and in flight — as pulling or pushing. The lift is provided by an airplane-type wing.
Valor meets all the requirements of the military. On test flights, the first prototype accelerated to 560 kilometers per hour. If this continues with the serial samples, the car will become the fastest combat helicopter in the world.
The declared range of a non—stop flight is about four thousand kilometers, which is almost twice as long as that of the Black Hawks. That is, where the UH-60 pilots were looking for a place to land due to lack of fuel, the V-280 will perform a combat mission and return to base. The crew is four people. There are up to 11 paratroopers on board.
Two options
The second program is Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (a promising reconnaissance and strike aircraft). The goal is to replace the AH—64 Apache and the recently decommissioned light OH-58 Kiowa.
In March 2020, the army selected the finalists: Bell Textron with the Bell 360 Invictus project and Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin with the Raider X helicopter.
Bell 360 Invictus Reconnaissance and Attack Helicopter Image Source: © Photo : Bell Helicopters
A three-dimensional model of the promising Invictus was shown to journalists back in 2019. The flight prototype should be presented this year. It is known that the Bell 525 Relentless civilian transport vehicle will serve as the basis, accelerating up to 306 kilometers per hour during tests.
The helicopter will be compact. The engine was developed by General Electric engineers under the Turbine engine program — GE T901. The T700 architecture used on the Apaches will remain. But the power will increase by 50 percent.
Another feature of the Invincible is a pair of wings, which at certain speeds will provide up to half of the lift. The armament will be hidden in the fuselage, which will improve aerodynamic characteristics and reduce radar visibility.
In 2023, they plan to complete the prototype Raider X from Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin. This helicopter is built according to the original scheme, known as the Sikorsky X2. The load-bearing system with two coaxial screws of opposite rotation with a diameter of 12 meters provides lifting and flight at low speeds. The pushing screw in the tail accelerates to high ones.
Sikorsky S-97 Raider Image source:
It is expected that a car with a take-off weight of at least six tons will reach a speed of 460 kilometers per hour. The practical ceiling is up to three kilometers.
At the same time, Raider X will retain all the capabilities of conventional helicopters. For example, he will be able to hang and perform vigorous maneuvers.
The main armament is a 20-millimeter three-barrel automatic cannon. The gun will be placed on a mobile installation operating in two planes. The total payload is about 500 tons.
Strengthen the "veterans"
In addition to the prospects, the issues of urgent modernization of the fleet were discussed at the conference. The Pentagon carefully studied the experience of Russia's use of army aviation and came to the conclusion that, in the face of an effective air defense system, rotorcraft has very limited effectiveness.
In 2024, the army will receive additional funding to increase the survival rate of equipment - to improve booking, electronic warfare and airborne defense systems.
In the near future, the Army command plans to replace the engines on the Apache and Black Hawks with more powerful ones. Boeing intends to install a third pylon on the AH-64 to take more ammunition. They also want to hang a new cannon installation, which will allow them to hit targets more accurately day and night.
U.S. military in southeastern Afghanistan Image Source: © Photo : Master Sgt.
Alejandro Licea
Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin want to provide the avionics complex with additional capabilities with elements of artificial intelligence. Many operations are automated, which will be a serious help for the crew. As for the veterans of the CH-47 Chinook, these heavyweights will receive new blades that increase the load capacity. The military has only to achieve an increase in already inflated budgets.
