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Graphic shows features of Bell’s V-280 Valor.
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AVIATION

Bell’s V-280 tiltrotor to make first flight

By Mike Tyler

October 17, 2017 - Bell Helicopter’s advanced V-280 Valor tiltrotor prototype, developed to replace the U.S. Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters, is scheduled to make its maiden flight before the end of 2017.

The V-280 is a hybrid between a plane and a helicopter, using a rotor-tilting process to go between horizontal and vertical flight, a concept first proven by Bell’s V-22 Osprey.

Unlike the Osprey, which tilts the entire engine and the rotors attached, the Valor will only tilt the rotors, a setup requiring fewer moving parts. The engine design also allows the V-280 to have side doors and a door gunner, which the Army prefers, and avoids the issue of hot exhaust being directed onto landing areas.

Bell’s design is competing against the Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant as a precursor to the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift initiative, which is intended to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters from 2030.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 17/10/2017; STORY: Graphic News
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