The future of helicopter warfare in the “lower tier” of airwar will be informed by an interesting developmental, technological and conceptual alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom, long-time allies with a shared history of military collaboration and joint operations.
Future Vertical Lift Cooperative Program
Both countries just signed a “Future Vertical Lift Cooperative Program Feasibility Assessment,” intended to ensure joint efforts to preserve and expand upon interoperability between the two allied nations in the realm of aircraft concepts of operation, innovation, research and technological integration.
“Collaboration with our Allies – be it bilaterally or multilaterally – helps ensure interoperability and provides insights that help us all achieve our capability objectives. Based on our shared history, it is very fitting and no surprise that our first project arrangement is with the United Kingdom,” Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, Director of the Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team, Army Futures Command, told Warrior in a written statement.
The US Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk and the United Kingdom’s Bell 212 utility helicopters can both support air assault raids, conduct MEDEVAC missions and deliver infantry into hostile fire, but how well could they operate together?
Refining, shaping and ultimately finding new answers to this question forms the primary inspiration for the US Army’s new agreement with the United Kingdom to pursue a joint helicopter modernization strategy. Both countries are now moving beyond their legacy platforms to engineer a new generation of rotorcraft equipped to counter an entirely new world of emerging threats.
