Army Special Operations Seeks Upgrades for Quieter Helicopter Missions

U.S. Army special operations helicopters need significant upgrades to conduct future missions using fewer aircraft and lower noise signatures, Program Executive Officer for Rotary Wing Steve Smith said Thursday. Smith spoke at the SOF Week expo in Tampa, Florida.

He cited Operation Absolute Resolve, the January mission that captured Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, as an example of current limitations. "We all saw the events in January, and incredible capability demonstrated, but it took immense numbers of aircraft and layered effects," Smith said.

The MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, also called Cheyenne II, is scheduled to enter service with special operations forces in the mid-2030s. Smith said the platform will serve as a source of new systems for the existing MH-60M and MH-47G fleet operated by the 160th Nightstalkers Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

Early risk-reduction work for special operations equipment has already been accepted into the MV-75 baseline, he said. Every production MV-75 will include the required structural provisions. Smith added that the Army's decision creates modularity and future growth capacity for both conventional and special operations aircraft.

Current focus is on integrating special operations mission equipment with the MV-75 digital backbone and time-sensitive networks. PEO Rotary Wing is working with Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego on data flow between new and legacy systems.

“How do we get the information on, how do we get information off those pieces of equipment? ”

Integration of the Silent Knight terrain avoidance radar on the MV-75 is scheduled to begin later this year. The Lockheed integration lab will support the effort.

Smith said the digital ecosystem developed for the MV-75 could migrate to MH-60 and MH-47 airframes, potentially creating a common cockpit across the wider Army fleet. He also noted interest in a more modular Block III variant of the MH-47, including aerial refueling capability, though he stated no funding has been appropriated for that work.

Separately, modeling to integrate launched effects on helicopter fleets is set to begin in 2027. The systems are intended to be speed-, range-, and payload-specific for 160th SOAR penetration missions against integrated air defenses.