The Army's Comanche Program was terminated in February 2004. The Comanche was being designed to be the Army's premier rotorcraft, incorporating the latest technology. Then in January of 2005 the production contract for the Presidential helicopter, Marine One, was awarded to the Lockheed Martin led team in association with AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter Textron. The teaming with AgustaWestland, a foreign company, served as a catalyst to question the type and amount of investments the United States was spending in new rotorcraft technologies or improvements to existing technologies. Interestingly, by November 2007 the controversy has not faded in that the Marine One (or the VH-71) program is facing a five-year delay in part due to requirements issues (which has a relationship to new technology) and funding. The termination of Comanche and the utilization of a foreign owned company's helicopter platform suggests that the United States and the Department of Defense are not investing in rotorcraft technology and, moreover, that the Army lacks a vision for its rotorcraft fleet. The future of United States rotorcraft technology is dependent upon research and development, as well as a long term national vision for this dynamic technology.
United States Rotorcraft Technology Investment: Is There a Lack of a Vision
2008
37 pages
Report
No indication
English
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