Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, and Team Valor marked the anniversary of the V-280 Valor’s first flight by continuing to prove the aircraft’s performance and technical maturity. As part of the U.S. Army led Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) program, the V-280 demonstrates that close collaboration between government and industry can deliver transformational speed, range and agility in vertical lift, in a fast and sustainable process.
In nearly 85 hours of flight and more than 180 rotor turn hours, some V-280 flight testing milestones are:
- Forward flight at 250 knots true airspeed
- In-flight transitions between cruise mode and vertical takeoff and landing
50-degree banked turns at 200 knots indicated airspeed - 4,500 feet per minute rate of climb and sustained flight at 11,500 feet altitude
Single flight ferry flight of over 370 miles - Demonstrated low and high-speed agility with fly-by-wire controls
The V-280 continues to expand the envelope in flight testing and expects to complete all the key performance parameters in the coming months, including additional low-speed agility tests and full cruise speed in forward flight. With twice the speed and range of existing helicopters, the Bell V-280 Valor is digitally-designed to provide decisive battlefield advantages with superior agility, payload, and reliability that will vastly increase warfighter survivability and lethality.
The Bell V-280 Valor provides warfighters strategic options, operational reach, tactical agility and overmatch at the point of decision. The Bell V-280 Valor design supports ground maneuver and is purpose built for the squad plus enablers. Safe and survivable, the design features integrated cabin armor, fly-by-wire component redundancy, state of the art countermeasures and performance. Bell’s design to build technology used on the V-280 Valor significantly enhances manufacturing, assembly, and sustainability, while greatly reducing the total cost of ownership. Advanced tiltrotor speed and range provides commanders access not currently available.
With more than twice the speed and range of current helicopter platforms, the Bell V-280 Valor provides access to get to the objective while providing superior agility at the objective. Team Valor’s mission equipment package enables enroute situational understanding through digitally fused reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence and friendly force information. Airborne battle boards bring fused data and mission updates to the cabin for real-time tracking. The V-280 will provide technology overmatch at an affordable price point.
