Future Vertical Lift (FVL)

Definition

FVL is a family-of-systems effort producing the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) and Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA, since cancelled). FLRAA selected the Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor in 2022, with production ramping later in the decade. The program drives not only airframe contracts but also mission systems, power, and digital-backbone work.

Why It Matters

FVL is the single largest rotorcraft-replacement effort in a generation. Subcontractors at every tier are affected: avionics, drivetrain, cabin systems, sustainment.

Example

Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 Defiant lost the FLRAA downselect to Bell's V-280 Valor, a decision that reshaped rotorcraft industrial footprints.

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