Bell Helicopter’s V-280 Valor has achieved first flight yesterday, at Bell Helicopter facility at Amarillo, Texas. The V-280 Valor is Bell’s variant evaluated by the US Army Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator initiative. As an advanced, second-generation tiltrotor that is designed to provide higher agility, speed, range and payload capabilities at an affordable cost. With twice the speed and range of conventional helicopters, the Valor is designed to offer future maneuver commanders the operational agility to self-deploy into a theater and perform a multitude of vertical lift missions currently unachievable in one aircraft.
The JMR-TD program is the science and technology precursor to the Department of Defense’s Future Vertical Lift program.
The V-280 program brings together the engineering resources and industrial capabilities of Bell Helicopter, Lockheed Martin, GE, Moog, IAI, TRU Simulation & Training, Astronics, Eaton, GKN Aerospace, Lord, Meggitt and Spirit AeroSystems—collectively referred to as Team Valor.
