Army Bets on Faster, Stronger Rotorcraft After Notorious Flops

The U.S. Army is staking its flying future on aircraft that can cruise like planes over vast expanses of the Pacific and Africa, hover like helicopters, evade detection with swift maneuvers, and live out in the dirt.

“We are not just going to have a big biceps—we are going to have full-body fitness,” said Major General Walter Rugen, director of the Army’s Future Vertical Lift cross-functional team. “We can cross oceans; we can cross mountains; we can cross swamps where there’s no roads; we do air assaults; we do delivered attacks; and we do Medevac operations for everybody.”

The Future ...