Turf battles: skepticism, inter-service rivalry surrounds joint heavy lift aircraft program.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: Heavy Lift

Just when the Army and the Air Force appear to have settled disagreements over which service will control unmanned aerial vehicles and operate a new light cargo aircraft, along comes a new turf battle over yet another aviation program. The latest source of contention is a potential multibillion-dollar program to build a new large cargo helicopter for the military services, known as the joint heavy lift aircraft.

So far the program is "joint" in name only because the military service that is responsible for air transportation is not on board with the idea. An initial capabilities document has been signed by all the services except the Air Force.

"We are in a wrestling match a little bit with our Air Force partners, but we're working through that," said Col. Joseph Jellison, director of the Army's concepts requirements directorate. But he characterized the initial capabilities document as a "success story" because it allowed the services to specify their requirements, which is a necessary step for the program to move forward. The Navy, for example, wants the aircraft to be refueled in flight. The joint heavy lift concept--sometimes referred to as joint future tactical lift--has been around for decades. Speaking at a conference of the Association of the U.S. Army, Bruce Tenney, associate director for technology at the Army's aviation applied technology directorate, admitted that the project has been a tough sell to the Air Force.

There is a dear need for an aircraft that can carry loads as heavy as 28 tons into areas without airports, Tenney said Fixed-wing transportation aircraft, such as the C-130, require long runways. Smaller airplanes also need a developed landing strip.

The ground services definitely see the benefits, Tenney said. The Navy, with the agreement of the Marines, wants such an aircraft to support their sea base concept. Sea basing calls for the service to gather a ship or ships to offshore locations so the Navy can carry out operations in areas where it lacks access to a harbor.

That would necessitate a vertical liftoff capability since a Navy boat could never accommodate a landing strip for such a large aircraft.

"It has been a barrier in getting the Air Force support for it as a requirement. I think we're past that," Tenney said.

A change in attitude is coming from the top down, he added. Without naming him, Tenney implied that this new attitude comes from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, who previously...