MOSA in Practice: A Case Study in Defense Acquisition
One of the most prominent examples of MOSA in practice is the DoD’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) initiative, which includes the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). The FVL program aims to develop next-generation military helicopters and other vertical lift platforms. The program has also recently focused its energies on adopting a Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA).
According to the awarding agency, “MOSA is to be considered holistically (nose to tail) across the entire architecture of the weapon system, from avionics and computers to aircraft structure and landing gear. The Army’s business objectives are to apply a MOSA to the subsystems and components expected to be frequently interacted with, or upgrades/updates made to, throughout the lifecycle of the weapon system.”
The two main competitors in the FLRAA program were Bell Textron’s V-280 Valor, a tiltrotor aircraft building on the technology developed for the V-22 Osprey, and Sikorsky-Boeing’s DEFIANT X, a compound helicopter featuring coaxial rotors and a rear-mounted pusher propeller. In December 2022, the U.S. Army awarded the FLRAA contract to Bell Textron. In response, Sikorsky-Boeing filed a protest with the GAO, challenging the Army’s decision, citing concerns about the evaluation process and the criteria used to select the V-280. In April of last year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied the protest, upholding the Army’s selection of Bell Textron.
The GAO’s decision confirms a shift in acquisition strategy that favors a modular approach. This means that future government contracts, especially for major defense systems, will likely continue to prioritize MOSA as a central factor. Companies will need to ensure their designs adhere to MOSA principles, demonstrating flexibility, ease of upgrade, and compatibility with a wide range of systems and technologies. The emphasis on MOSA encourages the development of platforms that can incorporate new technologies quickly, adapt to changing threats, and remain operationally relevant over extended periods.
Why MOSA for the FVL Program?
The Army’s interest in MOSA aligns with the growing push to include non-traditional defense contractors on bids. By using open standards, MOSA ensures that systems are not tied to any one vendor’s proprietary technology. This opens the door to multiple vendors competing to supply components or upgrades, which fosters innovation and helps keep costs in check. Contractors must compete on performance, quality, and cost, rather than relying on their exclusive hold over a particular system.
With a modular approach, if one vendor’s component underperforms or becomes obsolete, it can be replaced with a component from another vendor without the need to replace the entire system. This flexibility allows the government to spread contracts across multiple vendors, reducing reliance on any single contractor and avoiding the significant costs associated with full system overhauls. Instead of purchasing entirely new systems when technology evolves, the government can make incremental upgrades, extending the life of its platforms and reducing the total cost of ownership.
Bell Textron’s FLRAA bid likely had a more mature approach to MOSA, potentially offering greater flexibility for future upgrades and easier integration of advanced systems like sensors, avionics, and weapons. This modularity is critical for future-proofing the aircraft and ensuring that it can evolve with changing technology and battlefield requirements.
By prioritizing modularity, open standards, and interoperability, MOSA reduces the risk of vendor lock-in, fosters competition, and encourages innovation. For contractors, MOSA presents both challenges and opportunities: while it increases competition, it also allows smaller, more innovative firms to participate in government contracts that were once dominated by a few large, established vendors.
A portion of the FLRAA project – specifically the Competitive Demonstration and Risk Reduction (CDRR) task- was competed and awarded via the Aviation and Missile Technology Consortium (ATMC) managed by Advanced Technology International. For more information on AMTC visit https://www.amtcenterprise.org/
