S. 2080

119 S2080 IS: FLRAA Production Acceleration Act of 2025
 U.S. Senate
 2025-06-12
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  S. 2080  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   June 12, 2025   Mr. Cruz  (for himself and  Mr. Banks ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Armed Services    A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Army to accelerate the procurement of the future long range assault aircraft by initiating early production of not more than 24 such aircraft, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   FLRAA Production Acceleration Act of 2025  .
2.
Authorization to initiate early production of future long range assault aircraft
(a)
Authorization
The Secretary of the Army may enter into contracts, in advance of full-rate production, for the procurement of not more than 24 future long range assault aircraft as part of an accelerated low-rate early production effort.
(b)
Objectives
In carrying out the early production effort described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Army shall pursue the following objectives:
(1)
To expedite delivery of future long range assault aircraft operational capability to the warfighter.
(2)
To maintain momentum and learning continuity between test article completion and full production ramp-up.
(3)
To stabilize and retain the specialized workforce and industrial base supporting future long range assault aircraft, including critical suppliers and production facilities in Texas, Kansas, and other States.
(4)
To mitigate cost escalation risks and improve program affordability across the life cycle.
(c)
Considerations
In executing the authority provided by subsection (a), the Secretary shall—
(1)
prioritize program continuity, cost-efficiency, and workforce retention across the supply chain for tiltrotor aircraft;
(2)
ensure that aircraft procured as part of the early production effort described in subsection (a) incorporate lessons learned from test article evaluations; and
(3)
maintain flexibility in design to accommodate future upgrades through the modular open systems architecture and digital backbone.
3.
Report to Congress
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report detailing—
(1)
the implementation plan and timeline for the procurement and early production effort described in subsection (a);
(2)
the status of industrial base readiness and supply chain coordination; and
(3)
estimated long-term cost savings and operational benefits derived from such early production effort.