Bell Textron has secured a contract from the US Army for the competitive demonstration and risk reduction work as part of the latter’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) programme.
As a project agreement holder, Bell will be responsible for the delivery of a refined V-280 Valor design.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
V-280 Valor was developed to support the government’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme.
The company will also provide supporting technical documentation that builds on the data captured during the more than two years and 170 hours of flight testing under the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstration (JMR TD) programme.
Bell president and CEO Mitch Snyder said: “Bell and Team Valor are excited to continue working on a system that has proven its ability to bring exceptional capabilities to warfighters.
“The JMR TD and V-280 show that rapid maturation of new technology is possible with a solid government-industry partnership fueled by our talented and innovative workforce.”
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe company’s latest contract follows the US Army-led JMR TD programme, which involved managing collaboration with the 12 leading companies.
Together the companies form Team Valor for production, systems integration, and deliberate programme schedule to validate the flight capabilities and operational relevance of V-280.
Bell Advanced Vertical Lift Systems vice-president Keith Flail said: “The next phase is an opportunity for this team to build on the success of the last six years and continue to bring the proof that we can provide transformative capabilities to our army in line with their stated goal of 2030.”
The FLRAA programme, which will help warfighters meet the challenges of future multi-domain fights, is meant to produce a medium-lift utility rotorcraft replacement with transformational speed, power, and manoeuvrability.
Last January, the V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft has achieved a milestone by reaching the optimal cruise speed of 280k true airspeed. Bell and Team Valor performed the test at the Flight Research Center in Arlington, Texas, US.
