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.