Bell Tilt-Rotor Wins Through
In a move that will undoubtedly continue to fuel the debate between protagonists and antagonists of tilt-rotor vertical lift solutions, the US Army has selected Bell Textron’s V-280 Valor aircraft for its Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) programme, according to a 5 December statement by the company.
The award is based on the tilt-rotor developed and tested as part of the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD) programme that began in 2013. The V-280 progressed through design, manufacturing, and more than three years of rigorous flight testing that provided extensive data validating the technical and operational advantages of the aircraft for the long-range assault mission. Bell and its industry partners have systematically validated the V-280 aircraft and their modular open systems approach in collaboration with the Army.
“This is an exciting time for the US Army, Bell, and Team Valor, as we modernize the Army’s aviation capabilities for decades to come,” said Mitch Snyder, President and CEO of Bell. “Bell has a long history supporting Army Aviation and we are ready to equip soldiers with the speed and range they need to compete and win, using the most mature, reliable, and affordable high-performance long-range assault weapon system in the world”.
The initial contract refines the weapon system design, sustainment, digital enterprise, manufacturing, systems integration, flight-testing, and airworthiness qualification. “For the past several years the Bell team demonstrated the exceptional operational capabilities, digital thread synergies, and platform affordability enhancements the V-280 provides,” stated Keith Flail, EVP Advanced Vertical Lift Systems at Bell.
