The Future Vertical Lift Initiative – What Right Looks Like
By Thomas Conant
January 29, 2025
U.S. Army via Bell Helicopter
The Future Vertical Lift initiative is a bright spot in major defense platform acquisition. The story of how the FVL vision has come to fruition still holds important lessons even today.
The U.S. Department of Defense launched the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) initiative in 1993 to develop technologies for future tactical aircraft (TACAIR). The initiative aimed to explore and demonstrate state-of-the-art technologies and manufacturing processes, focusing on avionics, propulsion, and munitions. The program sought to reduce life cycle costs and promote joint service use.
JAST evolved into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, and TACAIR was on a path to its 5th Generation.
The progress of TACAIR contrasted starkly with the state of America’s rotorcraft platforms, which were still languishing in the post-Vietnam era, with no innovative vertical lift programs on the acquisition horizon other than the V-22 Osprey.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/01/29/the_future_vertical_lift_initiative__what_right_looks_like_1087872.html
