A decision on the latter is expected this year. Army FVL program has demonstrators flying and prototypes on the drawing board for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) and Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) projects. The eventual solution may be heavily influenced by decisions made elsewhere. The ideal is that whatever overall fleet mix nTACS delivers, there is a suitable solution within there for CANSOFCOM requirements.” It becomes problematic if you have a very small, bespoke, fleet that one squadron is flying. That might be the ideal at the end of the day, but in the Canadian context, now you’re operating potentially another small fleet. “Whether or not that leads us down the road of having a specific platform for SOF, I don’t know yet. There will be some common requirements and, with respect to CANSOFCOM, some very specific requirements,” he said. “I think there’s the potential that we could have one fleet that will satisfy the needs of both. The project team recently began preliminary discussions with both communities to gather their input into a future tactical aviation plan. The Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant X, which has been offered for the U.S. Whether one platform can meet their requirements is still unclear, Morris admitted. While the project is led by the Air Force, the primary customers are the Canadian Army and Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM), which operates a modified variant of the Bell 412. He also deployed to Bosnia, Haiti, Honduras, and Afghanistan - the latter as part of the final rotation of Operation Attention in Kabul. His operational flying was with 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron, where he served as a senior officer from 2007 to 2009 after the squadron was re-rolled to special operations. And we have the impact of current conflicts that are potentially game-changing with respect to how we will continue to operate vertical lift platforms in the future against sophisticated weapons systems.”Ī tactical aviation pilot who began his career on the Bell CH-135 Twin Huey and has flown the Griffon since the late 1990s, Morris knows the Bell 412 platform well. The operational application of manned-unmanned teaming is also developing. I think tactics are evolving with the technological developments. What that balance will be between potential capabilities remains to be seen. We’re not limiting ourselves at this point. “That could be a combination of manned and unmanned capabilities. “We’re looking at a multi-fleet solution,” he added. “Everybody is looking for that revolutionary step in technology that gives the benefit of speed and range from traditional fixed-wing, but also gives you the low speed, maneuverability, and flexibility of vertical takeoff and landing that rotorcraft have traditionally been able to provide. “We’re looking at nTACS to deliver a vertical lift capability that is revolutionary in terms of reach,” said Morris. With the next Tactical Aviation Capability Set (nTACS) project, the RCAF is envisioning a next-generation system able to perform all those and more, starting in the 2030s. Almost 45 mission kits have been integrated to meet different user needs since the airframe first entered service in 1995. The Griffon serves as an Army combat tactical transport helicopter, a Special Operations Forces aircraft, a domestic search-and-rescue asset, and a utility platform for domestic response to floods, wildfires, and other emergencies. The Griffon has been Canada’s tactical helicopter platform since 1995. “We’re looking at the problem with a very wide field of view right now,” said LCol Richard Morris, the lead for tactical aviation within the Director of Air Requirements. Faced with a multitude of roles, at times in conflict zones against a broadening array of air- and ground-based threats, the RCAF is explicitly seeking a tactical system rather than a traditional platform-for-platform replacement. When United States Army senior officers describe their Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, it’s often with terms like “transformational.” What comes next for Canada could be no less game-changing. When the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) lays out its request for information from industry, the high-level requirements could include options for networked crewed and uncrewed aircraft with speed, range, weapons, sensors, and data sharing that is unprecedented for RCAF tactical aviation. Whatever replaces the CH-146 Griffon will be far more than another utility helicopter. Estimated reading time 20 minutes, 18 seconds.
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