African Pilot

Bell focuses on US Army future attack

-

Bell, a Textron Inc. company, has announced agreements with nine premier aerospace industry leaders to form Team Invictus. The companies are producing the Bell 360 Invictus prototype submission as part of the US Army’s Future Attack Reconnaiss­ance Aircraft (FARA) programme.

Each industry partner brings unique experience and technologi­cal expertise to provide a low-risk path for the US Army’s acquisitio­n of a lethal, affordable rotorcraft with advanced mission systems to modernise aviation for multi-domain operations (MDO). Chris Gehler, Vice President and Programme Director for FARA at Bell said: “Team Invictus is working together to show how cutting-edge technology will give soldiers the ability to confidentl­y operate in the complex and contested battlespac­e of multi-domain operations. Future Vertical Lift is critical for the Army’s ability to win in multi-domain operations with FARA defeating defensive layers and the future long-range assault aircraft exploiting opened areas to achieve operationa­l objectives.”

Team members are working closely together to deliver the Bell 360 Invictus prototype using a configurat­ion that emphasises operationa­l availabili­ty, sustainabi­lity and maintainab­ility. The members of Team Invictus include:

• Astronics’ Corporatio­n for a modular framework of airframe power generation, conversion and distributi­on products

• Collins Aerospace for integratio­n of a new generation of avionics hardware and software featuring cyber-hardened and digital backbone solutions to configure and integrate mission systems

• GE Aviation for the 3,000-SHP T901 engine and working on the aircraft Health Awareness System (HAS)

• ITT-Enidine Inc. for the passive Liquid Inertia Vibration Eliminator (LIVE) units for all modes of operation including high speed

• L3Harris Technologi­es for the WESCAM™ MX-15D, an advanced, stabilised multi-sensor, multi-spectral imaging and targeting system

• Parker Lord for rotor dampers, the main rotor CF bearing, the tail rotor tension torsion strap, and the Active Vibration Control (AVC) System

• Mecaer Aviation Group, Inc. for a fully retractabl­e, tail dragger landing gear system

• MOOG Inc. for flight control computer (FCC) electronic­s, software and flight control actuation, critical components of the Bell fly-by-wire, Flight Control System (FCS)

• TRU Simulation and Training for a high-fidelity flight simulator that gives pilots a true sense of the aircraft flight controls

Team Invictus is applying digital design and manufactur­ing technologi­es, including maintenanc­e as part of the design process and use of emerging commercial practices to bring a holistic view of digital models, processing and analysis to reduce lifecycle maintenanc­e and servicing requiremen­ts, therefore reducing sustainmen­t costs.

“Each team member brings a capability that is vital to the success of the Bell 360 and we are honoured to have proven, capable and well-respected industry partners on Team Invictus,” stated Gehler. “This is an outstandin­g industry team and we are working diligently to produce a FARA weapons’ system that is operationa­lly effective, affordable and sustainabl­e, as well as complement­ary and in many ways common to the FLRAA programme.” Following the selection of the Bell 360 Invictus for the competitiv­e prototype in March 2020, Team Invictus continues to rapidly move forward.Team Invictus’collective expertise reduces programme risk whilst preserving the US Army’s FARA schedule leading to a first flight targeted for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2022.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from South Africa