Other Helo Development

The Other Helicopter Development program (PE 0604212M) is a United States Navy Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) line item that primarily supports the United States Marine Corps (USMC) through the development of the Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Family of Systems (FoS). The main objective of this program is to address the USMC's vertical lift capability requirements by exploring, developing, and demonstrating feasible and affordable solutions that support the evolving needs of the warfighter, particularly in alignment with the USMC's Force Design 2030 initiative.

The program's principal focus in FY 2024 was on the Attack and Utility Replacement Aircraft project, which aims to facilitate the developmental and operational prototyping and demonstration of advanced vertical lift capabilities. This supports mission areas such as Assault/Support, Attack/Strike, and Aviation Sustainment. The goal is to transition science and technology efforts into operational warfighter capabilities, including participation in Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) and Rapid Defense Experiment Reserve (RDER) projects, such as the Long Range Attack Missile and the Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer-Portfolio.

A key objective of the VTOL FoS initiative is to serve as a force multiplier by delivering platforms with improved performance, payload, survivability, agility, endurance, and reliability. These enhancements are intended to increase the Marine Air Ground Task Force's (MAGTF) capacity for long-range fires, logistics support, and aviation sustainment. The program directly supports Force Design 2030 by enabling concepts such as Stand-in Force, Expeditionary Advanced Basing Operations, and Littoral Operations in a Contested Environment.

The program employs a comprehensive approach, utilizing Doctrine, Organization, Training, Material, Leadership and Education, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy (DOTmLPF-P) analyses. This approach emphasizes life-cycle cost reductions through common processes, support equipment, logistics support, and component commonality. It also explores non-materiel solutions, such as innovative maintenance strategies, training solutions, and infrastructure requirements, to ensure sustainability and affordability over the long term.

Technical development under this line item includes work on primary air vehicle systems, such as mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and structural components, as well as mission subsystems like on- and off-board components, embedded control software, cockpit displays, and subsystem controllers. The program's architectural objectives include integrating all subsystems and platforms within a unified operating environment, facilitating efficient system upgrades and interoperability.

The Acquisition Strategy for this program began with an Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) completed in FY 2019, followed by ongoing requirements refinement and digital engineering initiatives. In FY 2024, the program entered a Middle Tier of Acquisition rapid prototyping phase, awarding contracts for major demonstration efforts. These demonstrations, scheduled through FY 2026, are designed to validate requirements and inform subsequent integration and development for platforms that meet USMC operational needs. The program also plans to transition successful prototypes into rapid fielding, with a focus on the Aerial Logistics Connector by FY 2028.

Beginning in FY 2025, the program's efforts and funding are being transitioned to a new program element to continue development activities.