Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft hit its full cruise configuration for the first time May 11 and is expected to be flying farther and faster through the rest of the summer. The aircraft achieved 190 knots with its rotors fully forward and has a design cruise speed of 290 knots. The aircraft is being developed by Bell and Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift Program. It’s about half the size of the V-22 Osprey and a fundamentally different tiltrotor design. The Valor’s rotors and driveshafts tilt while the engines remain stationary. The whole assembly tilts in the Osprey.
The Valor first flew last December and it’s not clear when it will enter service. It’s about the size of a Blackhawk helicopter and will carry up to 12 troops or a 9,000 pound slung load. “The V-280 Valor is quickly and consistently demonstrating the maturity of its technology and the overmatch capabilities it will bring to the warfighter,” said Keith Flail, VP of advanced tiltrotor systems at Bell. “This first cruise mode flight is another exciting step in our efforts to deliver revolutionary capability for warfighters at a sustainable cost and years ahead of current schedule projections.”
