Bell V-280 Valor makes first flight

Textron Inc. company Bell Helicopter’s next-generation tiltrotor V-280 Valor vertical lift aircraft for the U.S. military has achieved first flight.

“This is an exciting time for Bell Helicopter, and I could not be more proud of the progress we have made with first flight of the Bell V-280,” says Mitch Snyder, president & CEO for Bell Helicopter. “First flight demonstrates our commitment to supporting Department of Defense leadership’s modernization priorities and acquisition reform initiatives. We are thrilled to share in this success of the V-280 first flight with Team Valor.”

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.

The Bell V-280 Valor program is part of the Joint Multi Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) initiative, the science and technology precursor to the Department of Defense's Future Vertical Lift program.

With 2x the speed and range of conventional helicopters, the Valor is designed to offer operational agility to self-deploy and perform a multitude of vertical lift missions currently unachievable in one aircraft.