The Army has selected the V-280 Valor to replace its Black Hawk fleet
Your new ride is here!
The Army has officially selected the Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft to replace the beloved UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that has ferried soldiers into combat for the last half-century.
The V-280 Valor beat out the Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant compound coaxial helicopter to win the service’s years-long Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition, the service announced on Monday.
Breaking Defense first reported news of the Army’s FLRAA decision.
“The thoughtful and disciplined execution of the FLRAA program strategy will deliver the transformational capabilities we need to support the Joint force, strengthen deterrence and win in multi-domain operations,” Douglas Bush, the assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, said in a news release.
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According to Bell, the Valor boasts a top speed of 280 knots (hence, somewhat cheekily, the “V-280” designation) and a range of up to 800 nautical miles, double the top speed and operational range of the tried-and-true Black Hawk.
As Task & Purpose previously reported, the Valor can purportedly haul up to 23% more troops and 25% more cargo than the Black Hawk as well.
This is a breaking story and will be updated with more information as it becomes available
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