Bell Textron Inc., has announced a new rotorcraft, Bell 360 Invictus, as the company’s entrant for the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) Competitive Prototype program. Bell’s innovative approach to designing the Bell 360 Invictus combines proven low-risk technologies with advanced processes to deliver soldiers an affordable, agile and lethal solution to win on the modern battlefield.
The Bell 360 Invictus meets all requirements as laid out under the FARA contract. The Bell 360 Invictus’ design emphasizes exceptional performance using proven technologies to fulfill the Army’s FARA requirements at an affordable cost and on schedule.
This design is based on Bell’s 525 Relentless rotor system which has been tested and proven at speeds in excess of 200 Knots True Air Speed (KTAS). By incorporating proven designs and the best available technologies from commercial and military programs, Bell delivers a low-risk path to a FARA program of record.
Some of the key 360 Invictus features include for example lift-sharing wing to reduce rotor lift demand in forward flight, enabling high-speed maneuverability, fly-by-wire flight control system and Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) enabled by a Digital Backbone from Collins Aerospace.
The 360 Invictus will be armed with a 20 mm cannon, integrated munitions launcher with ability to integrate air-launched effects, and future weapons, as well as current inventory of munitions.
