Aircraft
Bell Completes V-280 Assembly
The company intends to fly the next-gen tiltrotor in the fall.
Bell intends to fly the next-gen Valor in the fall. (Photo: Bell Helicopter)
Bell intends to fly the next-gen Valor in the fall. (Photo: Bell Helicopter)

Bell Helicopter has completed final assembly of the V-280 Valor next-generation tiltrotor prototype and is preparing for ground runs and an anticipated first flight this fall. The V-280 is competing to win the U.S. military’s Future Vertical Lift Program to replace the Army’s Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks and the Bell UH-1 operated by the Marines. The program ultimately could result in deliveries of as many as 4,000 aircraft by the year 2030 under a contract potentially worth $100 billion and include significant foreign military sales.


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