The US Army has called off the development of its much-awaited Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA).

The service made the decision despite already spending at least $2 billion and requesting an additional $ 5 billion budget to sustain the program over the next five years.

According to certain media, a change in priorities is the main reason behind the cancellation of the program, as the service will opt to invest more in existing rotary aviation platforms and new uncrewed systems.

With the army’s recent announcement, the FARA program cancellation is one of the most significant of the last decade, especially as it was once described as a top modernization priority. Launched in 2018, the FARA program was meant to produce an armed reconnaissance helicopter to replace the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter.

Before the cancellation, the army had initiated several efforts dating back to 2004 for an armed reconnaissance helicopter that could meet demanding battlefield requirements. The first program, the Comanche, was terminated even though the service spent $9 billion for two prototypes. Four years later, the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program was also cancelled due to schedule delays and soaring costs.

The US Army had two prototypes for the FARA program: the Raider X developed by Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin and the 360 Invictus from Bell Textron.

Last year, the two competing companies said the completion of their proposals already exceeded 90%.

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