Bell Helicopter mates V-280 Valor tiltrotor wing and fuselage, readies for first flight

FORT WORTH, Texas, 5 May 2016. Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, has joined the V-280 Joint Multi Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) wing and nacelles to the aircraft fuselage at the company’s aircraft assembly center in Amarillo, Texas. This major milestone is evidence the next-generation tiltrotor is coming together quickly and according to schedule, says Lisa Atherton, executive vice president of military business development for Bell Helicopter, who is counting down to the first flight in 2017.

The V-280 Valor next-generation tiltrotor is designed to provide unmatched agility, speed, range, and payload capabilities at an affordable cost.

The V-280’s tiltrotor technology converts vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability into a tactical, operational, and strategic advantage, officials describe. The aircraft capitalizes on the more than 300,000 V-22 fleet flight hours, and leverages Bell Helicopter’s decades of tiltrotor experience, they add.

Once the aircraft achieves a successful first flight in September 2017, program leaders are confident Bell Helicopter will have the data required to go into the full-scale Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) phase.

In the coming weeks and months, work on the V-280 will involve preparing for verification work leading to a tethered power-up at the Bell Helicopter facility in Amarillo in the first half of 2017. Development continues in the company’s flight control systems lab in Ft. Worth. The lab integrates pilot inputs with flight control computers and flight controls, providing data for software that works with the hardware controlling flight loads and hydraulic performance. The T64-GE-419 engines and gearboxes are expected to be installed in the nacelles this November.

“The V-280 tiltrotor is designed with technology advancements that significantly reduce risk and cost, allowing the Department of Defense to field Future Vertical Lift (FVL) to the warfighter far earlier than previously anticipated. We have improved the manufacturing processes to arrive at a revolutionary aircraft with reduced sustainment costs and simplified maintenance procedures. This technology will provide the Department of Defense with the overmatch requirements to win in a complex world,” Atherton explains.

The V-280 has an anticipated cruise speed of 280 KTAS, with a 500-800 nm combat range and 11 to 14 operators. The Valor benefits from a flexible design, matching multi-mission versatility with exceptional 6K/95 hover performance, according to company officials. Tiltrotor vertical lift technology can rapidly self-deploy to any theater, and can cover more than five times the area of current MEDEVAC platforms. The V-280 provides the low-speed hover agility of a helicopter with fixed-wing range and efficiencies.

Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is a producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft and the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraftBell's global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial, and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Systems and TRU Simulation + Training.