Framework for the Fleet: Standards Created for Capable Rotorcraft
Amy Guckeen Tolson
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
The way it has always been done will not cut it for the future of Army rotorcraft.
Army rotorcraft—helicopters and, someday, Future Vertical Lift—are the workhorse of the Army, capable of transporting soldiers and supplies, firing on enemy forces, reconnaissance and more. Despite the military’s reliance on them and decades of use during war and peacetime, there was not a set military standard to ensure the structures that make up rotorcraft are capable of not only completing the mission but also of protecting soldiers—until recently.
In order to build a fleet that maintains vertical lift dominance over the enemy, the Army must start with structural basics. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center, known as AvMC, has leveraged more than 50 years of experience and innovation to create a Rotorcraft Structural Integrity Program that will ensure the safety and readiness of the warfighter and the success of Future Vertical Lift. Structural integrity is when a structure is capable of performing its intended function.
https://www.ausa.org/articles/framework-fleet-standards-created-capable-rotorcraft
