{"id":178571,"date":"2026-01-20T07:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=178571"},"modified":"2026-01-19T18:54:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T23:54:55","slug":"a-tale-of-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/?p=178571","title":{"rendered":"A Tale of Two…"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It was the best of time, it was the worst of times. That’s the opener to “A Tale of Two Cities”, widely cited as one of the greatest opening lines in history, along with “Call me Ishmael!” and a few others.* We’re gonna tell a tale of two programs. Too short a column for two cities, I guess.<\/p>\n
Let’s start with the good news. The Army is trying to replace its aging H-60 helicopters, primarily because when you look at the parameters of helicopter performance and the potential\u00a0 of tilt-rotor units, the tiltrotor should win hands down – given that it works right, which with our current iteration of tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey: well, to be kind, there have been a few teething pains. Not sure how many columns here have talked about the Osprey crashes – given as many as there are and the mileage flown in them, the record is probably not s bad as it looks. But it is far from squeaky clean, too.<\/p>\n
Bell, a Textron subsidiary, is developing the MV-75, which is based on its V-280 Valor tiltrotor, under the Army\u2019s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. The service announced Bell had won the FLRAA competition in 2022, at which point the expectation was that the first examples would begin entering service in the mid-2030s.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Now, the MV-75 has yet to even fly – but the V-280 has been undergoing flight testing since 2017. According to Army Chief of Staff GEN. Randy George:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a new tiltrotor aircraft, and it was supposed to be delivered in 2031-2032,\u201d Gen. George told soldiers at Fort Drum. \u201cAnd we said, \u2018No, we need it very quickly.\u2019 At the end of this year, we will actually have those flying and out in formations, in both Compo 1 [the active duty component] and Compo 2 [the Army National Guard], and in our SOF [Special Operations Forces] formations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The MV-75 promises a major boost in airmobile assault capability for the Army. The service expects the tiltrotors to offer roughly twice the range and speed of existing Black Hawks. Greater reach and being able to cover those distances faster would be particularly relevant in future operations in the Indo-Pacific region, where operating locations and objectives are likely be dispersed across large areas with limited options for making intermediate stops.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The record is not 100% clear, to be fair – the biggest issue is weight. As we keep adding capabilities, weight goes up. Per a report issued last summer:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe preliminary design review also stated that the aircraft\u2019s weight growth is putting certain planned mission capabilities, particularly regarding payload, at moderate risk,\u201d the report says. \u201cWhile the review noted that FLRAA has a plan to reduce approximately 270 pounds of weight, this falls short of the 2,000-pound reduction needed to reduce the payload risk from medium to low. Program officials stated that they are planning to conduct a system-level critical design review in late fiscal year 2025.\u201d\u00a0 TWZ<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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