Future Vertical Lift (FVL) is a plan[1] to develop a family of military helicopters for the United States Armed Forces.

[10] In October 2011, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued the FVL Strategic Plan to outline a joint approach for the next generation vertical lift aircraft for all military services.

The Strategic Plan provided a foundation for replacing the current fleet with advanced capability by shaping the development of vertical lift aircraft for the next 25 to 40 years.

It indicates 80 percent of decision points for the DoD vertical lift fleet to either extend the life, retire, or replace with a new solution occurring in the next eight to ten years.

Although formal requirements for the FVL family of systems had not yet been set, they will need to have hover, speed, range, payload, and fuel efficiency characteristics "beyond any current rotorcraft".

[25] Lockheed Martin is developing a single "common missions system" that could be integrated into FVL light, medium, heavy, and ultra-heavy aircraft.

One component is a helmet derived from the one used on the F-35 Lightning II using distributed aperture technology that uses integrated sensors to enable pilots to view "through" the aircraft.

[29][30][31][32] It features a V-tail, a large cell carbon core wing with a composite fuselage, triple redundant fly-by-wire flight control system, retractable landing gear, and two six-foot-wide (1.8 m) side doors for ease of access.

[37] On December 5, 2022, the Army selected Bell Textron for the FLRAA contract award,[38][39] with GAO overriding a program dispute from the Sikorsky-Boeing team.

The aircraft can carry 12 NATO litters, have an auxiliary fuel system for self-deployment over distances, and is planned to be capable of being optionally manned.

Both versions have retractable landing gear, and the attack variant carries all armaments stored inside until needed to provide a clean aerodynamic design.

[11] The company refers to the unnamed concept as an "innovative compound coaxial helicopter" capable of achieving 80 percent of the speed of the V-22 Osprey at half the cost.

It will be able to hover at 6,000 feet (1,800 m) in temperatures of 95 °F (35 °C) and fly unrefueled from Travis Air Force Base in California to Hawaii, a distance of 2,100 nmi (2,400 mi; 3,900 km).

It has high speed, "robust" hover performance at altitude, higher climb rate and sustained maneuverability, and longer range than other vertical-takeoff-and-landing configurations.

Replacing the VTDP with a conventional tail rotor produced the 160 kn (180 mph; 300 km/h) version, which was slower but was lighter, cheaper, and could better handle external-lift or vertical-replenishment missions.

[56] On 5 June 2013, Bell announced that its V-280 Valor design had been selected by the Army for the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator (TD) phase.

The Army classified the offering as a Category I proposal, meaning it is a well-conceived, scientifically or technically sound proposal pertinent to program goals and objectives with applicability to Army mission needs, offered by a responsible contractor with the competent scientific and technical staff supporting resources required to achieve results.

[57][58] The Boeing-Sikorsky team, pitching the high-speed compound helicopter design based on the X2 prototype, also reported they were invited to negotiate a technology investment agreement for the JMR-TD Phase I program.

[55] On 31 July 2013, Boeing and Sikorsky pledged they will invest more than double the amount money the government is spending on JMR if the team is chosen to build and demonstrate a rotorcraft for the program.

Lockheed Martin will incorporate future airborne capability environment software standards into the aircraft's cockpit and mission systems to use their avionics, weapons, and sensors like the F-35 helmet.

[11][48] The TIAs give the four teams nine months to complete preliminary design of their rotorcraft, which the Army will then review and authorize the construction of two competing demonstrators to fly in 2017.

[67] On 21 October 2013, defense executives bidding for the program stated that the Army plans to downselect to two companies in 2014, who will then develop prototypes for flight tests in 2017.

[70][71] Specifications are for a design capable of performing both medium utility and attack missions, with a 230 kn (260 mph; 430 km/h) cruising speed, and of hovering at 6,000 ft (1,800 m) in 95 °F (35 °C) temperatures.

After the flight tests and technology development, JMR will end and a Request for Proposals (RFP) will be issued open to all companies to begin the projected $100 billion FVL effort.

[69] In July 2014 the Army decided which two competitors would proceed to Phase One, but will hold program discussions with all four parties to determine a reasonable path forward before announcing the winners,[75] which is expected to occur in late August or early September 2014.

[78] In early September 2014, a panel of aviation experts advised personnel from the FVL initiative how to avoid mistakes made by previous acquisition efforts, namely the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The panel had three suggestions: split the program into different manageable pieces; use the expertise of the commercial helicopter industry; and secure early support from the U.S. Congress.

Congressional support was also advised to be secured early on, as keeping lawmakers in the dark caused lack of trust and imposition of reporting requirements for funding with the F-35.

Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) prototypes are to be built by two teams to replace Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawks with Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).

The competition will transition technologies (powertrain, drivetrain and control laws) from the previous demonstrators (JMR-TDs) of 2018–2019 to requirements, conceptual designs, and acquisition approach for the weapon system.