Spirit AeroSystems has completed the first fuselage of the Bell Helicopter V-280 tiltrotor aircraft for the U.S. Army's Joint Multi-...
Spirit AeroSystems has completed the first fuselage of the Bell Helicopter V-280 tiltrotor aircraft for the U.S. Army's Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) program.
The unit was designed and assembled in Spirit's rapid prototyping facility in Wichita, Kansas, in just 22 months. The composite fuselage is being prepped to ship to Bell's Amarillo, Texas, facility for final assembly.
The U.S. Army-led JMR-TD program is the science and technology precursor to the Department of Defense's Future Vertical Lift program, with the goal to replace 2,000 to 4,000 medium-class utility and attack helicopters.
A next generation tiltrotor, the Bell V-280 Valor advanced technology tiltrotor provides unmatched speed, range and payload for expeditionary maneuver to win in a complex world.
The V-280 is scheduled to make its first flight in the second half of 2017.
The Valor will be the third tiltrotor aircraft developed in the world, after Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey and AgustaWestland AW609.
