Welcome from our 2020 Chairman
Dear Colleagues,
The 2020 International Military Helicopter conference comes at an important moment for our community. In the United States, the Army’s FVL Cross-Functional Team is advancing towards acquisition for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) and the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), with industry working hard to field platforms and systems which can take advantage of a hyper-connected, contested and multidomain battlespace. As FVL advances, I am delighted that we will be joined at the 2020 conference by both Brigadier General Michael McCurry, Director, Army Aviation, Office of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, and Brigadier General Allan Pepin, Commander, US Army Special Operations Aviation Command. They will provide vital perspectives on the future Army Aviation enterprise.
Beyond the United States, FVL provides an opportunity for us to reflect on the key challenges facing global rotary wing operations today and tomorrow. We are increasingly seeing a vision for the future helicopter which targets increased range, speed, payload and survivability, coupled with open architectures, increased connectivity and improved integration with unmanned systems. Realizing that vision depends not just on a fresh approach to acquiring and integrating capability, but also demands a rethink of the doctrine, training and through-life support model which will enable us to leverage those future platforms effectively.
Bold ambitions require a bold program, and that is exactly what IMH 2020 will deliver; we have a great collection of speakers from around the world who will help us delve into the critical issues. With each day covering a specific theme – Vision 2030, Warfighter Readiness/Current Ops and Platform Readiness – there is a rare opportunity to look across the life cycle of the platforms we have now and those we will fly in the future.
The overall objective is to maximize the readiness of our forces, whether that be through improved through-life support, by managing the capability gap or by reworking our approach to recruitment and retention. The program will, for the first time, also offer specific streams covering individual mission sets – heavy lift, attack and maritime operations foremost among them. That will ensure that operators in every domain can meet the unique challenges that they face and will also help to streamline approaches to those platforms which are expected to be multi-role.
So, with all that said, welcome to the program for the 2020 conference. I hope you will join 200 defence and industry leaders in London next February, for what is a world leading conference on the future of vertical lift. Truly, an unmatched opportunity to dialog with the world’s military and industry experts in the field.
Warm Regards,
Lieutenant General (Retd.) Ken Tovo
Former Commander,
US Army Special Operations Command
Download the 2019 Agenda
With three distinct themes for each day – Vision 2030, Warfighter Readiness/Current Ops and Platform Readiness – the 2020 conference provides a stronger-than-ever platform for engaging with industry leaders responsible for supporting every stage of the helicopter life cycle; from design and build to operate and sustain. Featuring brand new streams covering specific mission sets such as Heavy Lift and Maritime Operations, this year’s conference will leave you better-placed to find solutions to the unique challenges of each mission, and to benefit from content specific to your background.
