AVIATION
Bell’s V-280 tiltrotor to make first flight
October 26, 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.