okay
welcome back bell's technology demonstrator designed to show the army the realm of the
possible in future vertical lift capability has flown 200 hours since its first flight
three years ago since then bell's clean sheet designed aircraft has flown more than 150 sorties
flail told defense news in a recent interview and the extensive effort has driven down risk for
the future long-range assault aircraft program for the us army the army wants to field flraa
an aircraft expected to fly twice as fast and twice as far as a conventional helicopter by 2030.
bell is gearing up to compete head-to-head with lockheed martin sikorsky and boeing team
which built the only other flying technology demonstrator in the effort leading up
to a program of record valor has been put through its paces completing key performance
parameters and continuing to prove out possible threshold and objective requirements for flra
the aircraft had its first public flight in june 2018 where it reached
cruising speeds of 195 knots and was put through its paces in hover mode
in may 2019 the aircraft completed low-speed agility maneuver testing
which made up the final key performance parameters left to prove out with the
system as part of the technology demonstration phase other achievements include demonstrating
an integrated system from lockheed martin that provides the pilots and aircrew a 360
degree view through the skin of the aircraft in the spring of 2019 and in early 2020 bell
also integrated the tactical common data link and transmitted information between
valor and the ground station to include basic flight data and showed it would be able to
provide targeting information to help long-range precision fire weapons hit targets more accurately
bell's future vertical lift technology demonstrator the v 280 valor tilt rotor has
finished its flying career according to a june 24th company announcement the demonstrator was
built for the u.s army joint multi-role technology demonstrator program it spent the last three and a
half years proving out the services requirements for a future long-range assault aircraft
the service is on a path to procure two new vertical lift aircraft by 2030
pursuing a future attack reconnaissance aircraft or pharah in addition to flra bell
and sikorsky are competing against one another in the pharah competition and each is building
an aircraft for a first flight in fiscal 2022. over the demonstration and risk reduction phase
the v 280 flew more than 214 hours and showed off low speed agility and long range cruise
capabilities and reached a maximum 305 knot cruising speed the army's threshold
requirement is expected to be in the 230 to the 250 knot range for the flraa program of record
five army experimental test pilots have flown the v 280 over 15 sorties
according to the company statement the company used feedback from army pilots
mechanics and infantry squads to help inform design plans also through the v 280 program
bell provided extensive data explaining how its aircraft through the incorporation
of a modular open systems approach brings efficiency to a future program
primary function amphibious assault transport of troops equipment and supplies from assault ships
and land bases description the v22 osprey is a multi-engine dual piloted self-deployable medium
lift vertical takeoff and landing vtol tilt rotor aircraft designed for combat combat support combat
service support and special operations missions worldwide it will replace the corpse aging fleet
of ch-46e and ch5 3d medium lift helicopters unit replacement cost unit cost 71.3 million
dollars variance the cv 22 will be utilized by the air force and socom for special operations
missions maintaining maximum commonality with the mv-22 aircraft avionics peculiar to air force
socom unique mission requirements constitute primary aircraft differences
the navy will use the hv 22 for combat search and rescue and fleet logistics support the mv
22 will be transitioned to all marine corps medium lift active duty and reserve tactical squadrons
the medium lift training squadron frs and the executive support squadron hmx
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