US Army warns that FARA, FLRAA at risk if service cannot end Chinook Block 2 programme

The US Army’s acquisition of new attack reconnaissance and long-range assault helicopters will be at risk if Congress does not let the service end the Boeing CH-47F Block 2 Chinook heavy lift helicopter programme, according to Acting US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy.

“It would give us a hard time to finance our ambition,” he told reporters on 20 August.

The US Army had proposed in its fiscal year 2020 (FY 2020) budget request to end the Chinook Block 2 acquisition to focus on new priorities, including the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) aircraft. Of the five FVL aircraft, the army wants to first procure the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) and the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).

McCarthy left open the possibility of buying Chinooks in the future, despite wanting to end the Block 2 programme. He said by halting the programme now and maintaining a robust supply chain due to a large number of Foreign Military Sale (FMS) orders, the army could “turn something like that back on” if it had to make an adjustment. McCarthy noted that the Chinook helicopter is the youngest in the US Army’s helicopter fleet.

“That is why we are working very hard with Congress for them to clearly understand the investments we are going to make because we are bringing on two new helicopters,” McCarthy said. “That will be expensive and it will be hard.”

Thomas Spoehr, director of the Centre for National Defence at the Heritage Foundation think-tank in Washington, DC, told Jane’s