Bell V-280 Valor

V-280 Valor
A Bell V-280 in high-speed cruise configuration
Role Assault/utility tiltrotor
National origin United States
Manufacturer Bell
First flight 18 December 2017[1]
Status Under development; flight testing

The Bell V-280 Valor is a tiltrotor aircraft being developed by Bell Helicopter for the United States Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.[2] The aircraft was officially unveiled at the 2013 Army Aviation Association of America's (AAAA) Annual Professional Forum and Exposition in Fort Worth, Texas. The V-280 made its first flight on 18 December 2017 in Amarillo, Texas.[3]

On 5 December 2022, the V-280 was chosen by the US Army as the winner of the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program to replace the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.[4][5]

As of April 2024, limited user tests are planned for 2027 to 2028 with the first deployment expected in 2031.[6]

  1. ^ Judson, Jen (20 December 2017). "V-280 Valor flies for the first time". Defense News. Archived from the original on 21 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin Team on V-280 Valor". Textron. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Bell V-280 Valor Achieves First Flight". Bell Flight. 18 December 2017. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023.
  4. ^ Capaccio, Anthony; Tiron, Roxana (5 December 2022). "US Army Taps Bell Textron for Helicopter of the Future". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  5. ^ Weisgerber, Marcus (5 December 2022). "Army Chooses Bell V-280 to Replace Its Black Hawk Helicopters". Defense One. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  6. ^ Judson, Jen (2024-04-25). "US Army to field long-range combat aircraft to first unit in FY31". Defense News. Retrieved 2024-06-09.