CAE revealed that its Defense & Security division has secured a contract with Bell Textron Inc. to contribute to the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program.
As a member of the FLRAA team, CAE is set to furnish operator and maintenance training aids, devices, simulators, and simulations (TADSS), encompassing maintenance training systems and display and simulation effects for operator training.
The initial contract not only covers virtual prototyping but also involves the creation of visual display systems and radio simulations for portable flight trainers. According to CAE, this lays the groundwork for potential future endeavors to develop and supply a virtual maintenance training system (VMTS) and hardware-based maintenance trainers.
“Operator and maintainer training are key aspects to ensuring FLRAA weapon system capabilities for our warfighters,” said Ryan Ehinger, Senior Vice President and program director for FLRAA at Bell.
“We look forward to continuing to work with CAE as we support the Army in its critical efforts to modernize and increase the lethality of our nation’s soldiers,” he added.
Commenced in 2019 as part of the broader Future Vertical Lift initiative to upgrade its assault and utility helicopter fleet, the US Army’s FLRAA program aims to replace the aging UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which has served for more than four decades.
In December 2022, Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft was chosen over Sikorsky’s Defiant X coaxial rotor solution, as well as Boeing’s offering. The initial contract, valued at up to $1.3 billion, sets the stage for the low-rate production phase estimated at around $7 billion. The US Army anticipates deploying the V-280 Valor in its Combat Aviation Brigades by 2030.
