Bell V-280 Valor: Anniversary Tour?
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“We … are looking at opportunities to do a road trip,” Bell executive Keith Flail told me. “Can we take the V-280 to a handful of key Army and Marine Corps installations to show capabilities to the force?”
Army Wants New Aerial Scouts For Major War (Hello, Russia!)
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These special squadrons would probably be the first units to get the revolutionary Future Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) the service wants flying by the mid-2020s to replace conventional helicopters.
Army Can Revolutionize Aviation Without Busting Budget, Leaders Say
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The Army doesn’t only want much faster aircraft: It wants them to cost the same to build, operate, and maintain as its current helicopters. Otherwise it can’t fit them into an unchanging aviation budget. That’s an awfully high bar.
Uncertainty & Anxiety About Army’s New Scout Aircraft
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WASHINGTON: After months of hints, the Army announced Friday it wants competing prototypes of a Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft flying by 2023. But there’s a deal of uncertainty — even anxiety — about what the Army wants. “Industry can develop whatever the government tells them what they want, if it sticks to the requirements and… Keep reading →
Army Really Wants Armed Recon Aircraft — Again: VCSA, CFT Chief
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The Army’s new emphasis on armed recon could potentially disrupt the all-service Future Vertical Lift project (FVL).
Artillery, Drones, Missiles Will Help FVL Penetrate Air Defenses: FVL CFT
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All this technology serves a new concept of operations for defeating dense advanced air defenses of the kind Russia and China are both building for themselves and selling abroad.
Navy Buys Lots More Fighters; Ships Up Slightly But 355 Not In Sight
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PENTAGON: The U.S. Navy’s budget is growing by over $12 billion in 2019, and more ships are on their way – but not enough to get to the hoped-for 355-ship fleet any time before the 2050s. In unveiling its $194.1 billion budget for the 2019 fiscal year on Monday, Navy officials highlighted the increase in… Keep reading →
Bell Update On ‘Amazing’ V-280
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AUSA: Bell Helicopter is moving right along with its new V-280 Valor, a tiltrotor being built under the Army-led, multiservice Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program. The V-280 – which flies at 280 knots cruising speed — resembles the bigger V-22 Osprey built by Bell and Boeing for the Marine Corps, Air Force Special Operations Command… Keep reading →
Bell V-280 Revs Rotors In First Ground Test
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Bell’s V-280 tiltrotor didn’t take flight – not yet – but it has tilted its rotors into helicopter mode and spun them up during its first-ever “restrained ground run test.” This test mode plugs the whole aircraft into a bulky apparatus to ensure it doesn’t take off by accident. (That would be bad). The test… Keep reading →
Bell V-280 Vs. Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1: Who Will Win Future Vertical Lift?
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AMARILLO, TEX.: The Future Vertical Lift program aims to create revolutionary replacements for today’s military helicopters. But how? And why? The answers lie in the speed limits built into the physics of how a helicopter flies. Rival contractors Bell and Sikorsky (part of Lockheed Martin) both say they have transcended those limits to build dramatically… Keep reading →