Bell V-280 Valor – First Year of Flight

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Fort Worth, Texas (December 18, 2018) – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, and Team Valor marked the anniversary of the V-280 Valor’s first flight by continuing to prove the aircraft’s  performance and technical maturity. As part of the U.S. Army led Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) program, the V-280 demonstrates that close collaboration between government and industry can deliver transformational speed, range and agility in vertical lift, in a fast and sustainable process.

“I am proud of the team’s remarkable accomplishments during the first year of flight. By working with the government, we continue to prove the V-280 is the agile aircraft that our military needs now.” President and CEO Mitch Snyder

In nearly 85 hours of flight and more than 180 rotor turn hours, some V-280 flight testing milestones are:

  • Forward flight at 250 knots true airspeed
  • In-flight transitions between cruise mode and vertical takeoff and landing
  • 50-degree banked turns at 200 knots indicated airspeed
  • 4,500 feet per minute rate of climb and sustained flight at 11,500 feet altitude
  • Single flight ferry flight of over 370 miles
  • Demonstrated low and high-speed agility with fly-by-wire controls

The V-280 continues to expand the envelope in flight testing and expects to complete all the key performance parameters in the coming months, including additional low-speed agility tests and full cruise speed in forward flight.

"This anniversary is an important milestone as we provide options for the U.S. Army to meet its vision for a modernized force in the near future and regain overmatch in vertical lift. We are prepared to field a suitable, affordable and sustainable aircraft to meet that accelerated timeframe." Vince Tobin, executive vice president for military business at Bell

With twice the speed and range of existing helicopters, the Bell V-280 Valor is digitally-designed to provide decisive battlefield advantages with superior agility, payload, and reliability that will vastly increase warfighter survivability and lethality.

To see updates on the V-280 Valor and learn more on the capabilities, please visit https://www.bellflight.com/military/bell-v-280, and follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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About Bell

Thinking above and beyond is what we do. For more than 85 years, we’ve been reimagining the experience of flight – and where it can take us.

We are pioneers. We were the first to break the sound barrier and to certify a commercial helicopter. We were a part of NASA’s first lunar mission and brought advanced tiltrotor systems to market. Today, we’re defining the future of advanced air mobility.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., – we have strategic locations around the globe. And with nearly one quarter of our workforce having served, helping our military achieve their missions is a passion of ours.

Above all, our breakthrough innovations deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Efficiently. Reliably. And always, with safety at the forefront.

About Textron

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, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

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