Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter has launched an effort aimed at improving the U.S. military's vertical lift fleet and enhancing the nation's helicopter industrial base.
The effort is designed to establish a baseline for vertical-lift planning and execution over the next 20 to 25 years, according to a memo Carter signed Oct. 26.
His memo orders the Pentagon's director of land warfare and munitions to take the lead on crafting a POM-12 proposal. That document will list all DoD activities now under way to develop new vertical-lift platforms, according to the memo. The POM-12 document also will feature a statement of what funding is needed for future rotary-wing lift development, according to the memo.
There are no new lift helicopter development programs in the Pentagon's long-range budget plans, according to several defense officials.
The Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program is ready to test a few components that soldiers may have in their hands by 2010.
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