The newest V-280 Valor light tiltrotor aircraft by Bell has completed another milestone in its flight testing by flying in “cruise mode.”
This is when the rotors pivot, in flight, from vertical lift mode to fully forward facing. According to Bell, the aircraft then reached 190 knots of true airspeed.
According to the company’s press service, the flight was completed on May 11 at Bell’s assembly facility in Amarillo, Texas. While the airspeed for the test was limited to 190 knots, the team will now gradually expand the Valor’s flight envelope to achieve the type’s goal of 280 knots at cruise.
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The Bell V-280 Valor provides warfighters strategic options, operational reach, tactical agility and overmatch at the point of decision. The Bell V-280 Valor design supports ground maneuver and is purpose built for the squad plus enablers.
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Safe and survivable, the design features integrated cabin armor, fly-by-wire component redundancy, state of the art countermeasures and performance. Bell’s design to build technology used on the V-280 Valor significantly enhances manufacturing, assembly, and sustainability, while greatly reducing the total cost of ownership. Advanced tiltrotor speed and range provides commanders access not currently available.
