Boeing unveils images of its US Army FARA-CP offering

Boeing formally released on 3 March the first high-resolution images of its offering for the US Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft-Competitive Prototype (FARA-CP) competition.

The thrust compounded single-main rotor helicopter features a six-blade rotor system, a single engine, tandem seating, a modern cockpit with a reconfigurable large area display, and autonomous capabilities, according to a company statement. Boeing’s FARA-CP offering also has a downward-pointing vertical fin and a tail rotor for anti-torque.

Boeing’s offering for the US Army’s FARA-CP competition incorporates a number of AH-64E Apache modifications it was testing over the past couple of years, including a pusher propeller and a downward-pointing vertical fin. This is an artist’s illustration. (Boeing)

Boeing spokesperson Deborah VanNierop said on 3 March that Boeing’s FARA-CP platform has three rotors to enable high agility and manoeuvrability. The main rotor, she said, is a high-performance and hingeless rotor system while the tail rotor provides low-speed manoeuvrability. The four-bladed pusher propeller provides the thrust necessary for high-speed flight and additional low-speed manoeuvrability.

Mike Hirschberg, Vertical Flight Society (VFS) executive director, told Jane’s on 3 March that the aircraft’s six rotor blades can reduce its noise signature. The more of an aircraft’s weight that is distributed, the quieter it can be, he said. But the trade-off is cost, weight, and the complexity of more rotor blades.