New Army Future Helicopter for 2030 Takes Test Flight

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Ben Brimelow Business InsiderJan. 04, 05:01 PM

Bell’s V-280 Valor successfully completed its first test flight in December and could win the U.S. Army’s competition to replace its fleet of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

The V-280 can fly at 280 knots with a self-deployable range of 2,100 nautical miles, and a combat range of 500-800 nautical miles. It has a crew of four and can carry 12 troops, meeting all of the requirements the Army has laid out.

The Army has made it clear though that no single helicopter design would replace its entire helicopter fleet, according to Stars and Stripes.

“It’s a myth that the Army is looking for a single [type of] helicopter to perform all its vertical-lift missions,” Dan Bailey, a former AH-64 Apache pilot who is in charge of programs aimed at updating the Army’s helicopters, told Stars and Stripes. “In fact, we will have a family of aircraft. Some may be tilt-rotor and some may be coaxial.”

“We want to make sure we have advanced capabilities and configurations that allow that,” Bailey said.

While the Army is looking to replace its Black Hawks, it may also replace its Apaches, CH-47 Chinooks, and OH-58 Kiowas. The service could turn to the other competitors in the race — namely Boeing and Sikorsky.