SOCOM to extend AH-6 service life following cancellation of new reconnaissance aircraft | News

The elite aviation of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (SOCOM) will continue to fly the aging Boeing A/MH-6 Little Bird multirole helicopter for the foreseeable future.

This deviates from SOCOM’s earlier plan to retire the Little Bird and replace it with the now-defunct Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA). The US Army canceled development of this next-generation armed scout in February.

Senior service officials decided that the concept of a low-altitude crewed aircraft flying beyond the front lines was too vulnerable to precision anti-aircraft munitions and swarms of cheap drones deployed in modern conflict zones.

The demise of FARA left SOCOM in a difficult situation. The headquarters that supplies Washington’s elite Special Operations Forces (SOF) must now find a way to keep its small fleet of Little Birds both airworthy and relevant.

“It changed our equation,” says Steven Smith, director of special programs in SOCOM’s rotary-wing aviation procurement office.

Smith spoke May 7 at the annual SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.

SOCOM operates a specialized fleet of aircraft, typically modified versions of standard types such as the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing CH-47 Chinook, adapted for special operations applications.

The Little Bird is exceptional in that it is a unique aircraft to SOF, not operated by any US conventional forces. Piloted by the elite aviators of the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), the Little Bird is available in MH-6 and AH-6 light attack configurations.

Smith says SOCOM had planned to acquire FARA to replace both its AH-6s and the MH-60 defensive armed penetrator variant of the Black Hawk.

Canceling development of FARA means these planes will now need to be maintained for some time to come, Smith notes.

Some of this work was already underway. SOCOM and Boeing have completed upgrading their entire fleet to the Block 2.2 standard, and deliveries of the latest Little Bird Block 3 configuration are underway.

This includes a modernized cockpit and an all-new “zero hour” fuselage from Boeing. In addition to a reset of flight hours, the new fuselages feature an improved weight rating of 2,268 kg (5,000 lb).

According to documents presented by SOCOM’s Rotary Wing Aviation office during SOF Week, the 160th SOAR will now operate the Little Bird until 2040.

The new Block 3 aircraft will be designated AH-6R, which Smith said will mean “resurrection,” referring to the type’s new life.

SOCOM plans to complete fielding of the new AH-6Rs by 2031. The new Block 3 fuselages have a 15-year service life, which Smith said “gives the Army some breathing room.” to find a long-term solution. for the armed reconnaissance mission.

In the near term, Army leaders plan to use a combination of unmanned and space-based assets to fulfill FARA’s role.

Given this uncertainty, Smith says SOCOM is exploring options to further modernize the Little Bird fleet.

“We think we need additional performance,” he says, noting that the tiny Little Bird is the slowest plane in the fleet. The type has a top speed of around 126 knots (145 mph).

Options being explored include an advanced rotor blade, a new powertrain and perhaps even electrification. However, Smith notes that SOCOM has “no current plans or funding” regarding additional upgrades to Little Bird.

The command, however, is seeking ideas from industry and encouraging companies with proposals to submit proposals.