As the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting set to begin on Oct. 14 in Washington DC, the service’s leadership has embarked on the most ambitious modernization agenda for the aviation branch in over 40 years. Within a decade, the Army hopes to field a new attack reconnaissance aircraft and a long range assault aircraft with greater speed, range and payload than anything it operates today. Aviation Week editors Lee Hudson, Steve Trimble and Graham Warwick look at the current state of two competitive prototyping programs now underway, and raise questions about the affordability and benefits of the Army’s goals.