Billions Spent by US Army on New Helicopter That Will Never Take Flight

The U.S. Army made headlines by ending the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, a project that had cost at least $2 billion and was projected to cost another $5 billion over the next five years. In addition to ending the FARA program, the Army plans to eliminate its Shadow and Raven unmanned aircraft fleets and would delay the procurement of its next-generation helicopter engine as well. Doug Bush, the Army’s top acquisition official, claimed this move is part of a major aviation overhaul. The Army still has plans to progress with its Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), despite these program cancellations. The Army is set to continue its efforts in modernizing its current fleet and seeking new technologies to fill the gap left by the reduction in the number of reconnaissance UAS available. After contemplating whether to continue with the FARA project so as to replace AH-64 Apache, the Army is now focused on finding an alternative using unmanned aircraft and existing R&D developments.