Issue Briefs
Army’s Future Vertical Lift Will Reshape The Rotorcraft Industry–And Companies Know It (From Forbes)
Loren B. Thompson
December 17th, 2021
The U.S. Army has not developed an all-new combat rotorcraft since the Reagan years, but now it is developing two in a program called Future Vertical Lift (FVL). FVL is expected to generate demand for nearly 100 aircraft per year, making it by far the biggest source of demand for the domestic rotorcraft industry. That means leading companies must secure a berth on either the new recon aircraft or the new assault aircraft in order to remain in the sector’s first tier. Major General Walter Rugen, the much-decorated director of the FVL program, is devoting considerable effort to understanding the dynamics of the industry–not just the airframe integrators, but the second- and third-tier suppliers, and the other industries contributing inputs to the final combat configuration. Rugen understands all too well the likely fallout if FVL fails to make the right choices. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.
The views and opinions expressed in this issue brief are those of the author.
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Loren B. Thompson is a Senior Adviser at GPI, Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit Lexington Institute and Chief Executive Officer of Source Associates, a for-profit consultancy. Prior to holding his present positions, he was Deputy Director of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University and taught graduate-level courses in strategy, technology and media affairs at Georgetown. He has also taught at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Thompson holds doctoral and masters degrees in government from Georgetown University and a bachelor of science degree in political science from Northeastern |