Bell Textron awarded FARA Design Analysis Contract

Bell, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc, won a $13.5 million multi-year production deal to conduct design analysis for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program Sept.8.

The order-dependent contract covers design studies, analyses, simulation, testing, integration and fabrication activities in order to mitigate risks, investigate operational usage and conduct maturation activities at the technology, subsystem and system-level maturation for FARA and its variants, according to the Department of Defense.

Bell 360 Invictus Prototype (Photo Courtesy Bell Textron)

Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 7, 2025.

Bell Textron was awarded the deal by the U.S. Army Contracting Command as part of the FARA competition, what U.S. Army officials have calls its "knife-fighter' of future Army Aviation capabilities" as it will provide maximum performance in a small package.

In mid march, the U.S. Army selected Bell Textron and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, from the initial five FARA design candidates to build and test flying prototypes for the program, which will replace the OH-58 Scout helicopter.

Bell released a video showcasing its prototype rotorcraft, the Bell 360 Invictus, in July.

Bell 360 Invictus

As the competitors move further into the building and testing phase, Bell Textron will be seeking parts to bring its prototype to life. The Bell 360 Invictus will borrow the main rotor system and fly-by-wire flight controls of the Bell 525.

The FARA competition seeks to test and acquire a next-generation attack reconnaissance aircraft to fill that a critical capability gap: the army needs an aircraft capable of operating in a complex airspace and degraded environments against adversaries with an advanced integrated air defense system. 

The Army currently lacks the ability to conduct armed reconnaissance, light attack, and security with improved stand-off and lethal and non-lethal capabilities with a platform sized to hide in radar clutter and for the urban canyons and mega cities, according to the initial FARA solicitation.

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