By Ann Roosevelt

Now is the time to start considering the questions that must be answered to plan science and technology investment for the future of Army aviation, even though the money is unlikely to come before the Program Objective Memorandum (POM) 2010-2015, according to a top aviation official.

Army aviation officials were unable to garner enough support for major S&T investment in the current POM.

The timing finds it more likely that there will be a “dramatic realignment of S&T” in the 2010-2015 POM, the Program Executive Officer Aviation, Paul Bogosian told Defense Daily during a roundtable with reporters at the Association of the United States Army Aviation Symposium in Arlington, Va., yesterday.

A delay is not necessarily bad as future aircraft under consideration, such as the Joint Heavy Lift platform, are likely to help define a new set of technologies for industry, he said.

It is the consideration of the lessons learned from current conflicts, potential future conflicts, and the operational concepts of future vertical maneuver that will be driving new aircraft design and technologies, Bogosian said. Additionally, the definition of operational needs will help align S&T investments in the future.

It is not only the Defense Department, but service aviation officials and industry as well that are considering questions about the future. Among the questions is what does a period of persistent conflict mean for the future rotorcraft fleet?

Essentially, Bogosian said, the reallocation of funds from the canceled RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program to modernize Army aviation in 2003 resulted in fielding the same kinds of aircraft performing in the same ways. Aviation modernization is producing new rotorcraft, unmanned aerial systems, more survivability equipment and new technologies, but no appreciable S&T investment.

Future aviation S&T investment could go toward improving rotorcraft capabilities such as lift, power and speed, he said.

For several years now, Bogosian has pointed to a need to invest in aviation S&T for the future as part of transformation to ensure the best possible capability is available to field to Army aviators.