- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

'Exciting Time': US New Gen Tilt-Rotorcraft Takes to the Skies (VIDEO)

© Photo : Bell HelicopterBell V-280 Valor
Bell V-280 Valor - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Bell Helicopter's V-280 Valor tilt-rotor aircraft’s test flight has been a big step ahead in the development of the next generation of vertical lift aircraft for the US military, the company said in a statement posed on its website.

Bell Helicopter has released a video showing the maiden flight performed by its new tilt-rotor aircraft.

The V-280, designed to fly twice as fast as conventional helicopters, was developed as part of the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program to create a new generation of tilt-rotor airframes.

US Marine V-22 Osprey aircraft (R) taxi on the tarmac after the arrival of US President Barack Obama at the international airport in Manila on November 17, 2015, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit - Sputnik International
Bell’s Next Gen Hellfire-Armed Helicopter Hybrid Will be Part F-35 Fighter Jet
The FVL program envisions the creation of five types of vertical liftoff aircraft to replace the existing fleet of Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook rotorcraft.

All future helicopters will be equipped with similar onboard electronics, engines and weapons systems.

The prototype of the V-280 was presented to US Army officials in 2014.

Designers have sought to keep production costs down through a 30 percent improvement in weight savings and by eliminating the original “folded-wing” configuration.

The Valor carries a crew of two and can carry 14 troops or a payload topping 5.4 tons.

It has a cruising speed of 320 miles an hour, a combat range of up to 920 miles and can hover out of ground effect at 6,000 feet.

"This is an exciting time for Bell Helicopter, and I could not be more proud of the progress we have made with the first flight of the Bell V-280," Bell helicopter CEO Mitch Snyder said.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала