Bell Helicopter and Spirit AeroSystems Inc announced major assembly has started on the Bell V-280 Valor advanced tiltrotor fuselage. First flight expected second half of 2017
Bell Helicopter, June 15, 2015 - Fort Worth, Texas – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, and Spirit AeroSystems Inc. today announced major assembly has started on the Bell V-280 Valor fuselage.
“Spirit AeroSystems brings decades of composite manufacturing experience to the team which allows us to quickly build an aircraft like the V-280,” said Phil Anderson, Spirit AeroSystems senior vice president of Defense. “This is a major milestone for the technology demonstrator unit. Spirit AeroSystems is proud to be on Team Valor and we are excited to be designing and building the composite cabin and cockpit for the V-280.”
“U.S. ground forces require significant increase in speed and range to operate against and strike adversary systems much deeper than existing platforms,” said Mitch Snyder, executive vice president of Military Business for Bell Helicopter. “That is the vision for Future Vertical Lift. The V-280 advanced technology tiltrotor provides the Department of Defense (DoD) with unmatched speed, range and payload for expeditionary maneuver to win these future conflicts. We are confident in the capability that the V-280 will provide, and we are proud to have Spirit AeroSystems adding their expertise to Team Valor and to the V-280. Spirit AeroSystems beginning major assembly on the V-280 fuselage brings this high-performance aircraft one step closer to completion.”
The delivery of the first V-280 fuselage to the Bell Helicopter facility in Amarillo, Texas, is expected later this year. First flight of the V-280 Technology Demonstrator is anticipated in the second half of 2017.
With more than twice the speed and twice the range of current helicopter platforms, the Bell V-280 is designed to provide combatant commanders with the ability to reach the battlefield while providing superior low-speed agility at the objective. The efficient speed and reduced reaction time provided by the V-280 will allow operators to outmaneuver their adversaries. The tiltrotor’s speed, range and payload significantly reduce logistical, security and medical footprints, freeing up personnel and additional combat power.
Bell Helicopter has led the formation of Team Valor, a group of preeminent aerospace companies bringing the best engineering resources and industrial capabilities to meet the Department of Defense’s anticipated needs.
Team Valor includes: Lockheed Martin, Spirit AeroSystems, Astronics, Eaton, General Electric, GKN Aerospace, Israel Aerospace Industries, Lord, Meggitt, Moog and TRU Simulation and Training.
About AMRDEC: AMRDEC is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers. AMRDEC employs nearly 11,000 civilian scientists, researchers, and engineers.
About RDECOM: RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations.
About Spirit AeroSystems Inc.: Spirit AeroSystems, with headquarters in Wichita, Kan., USA, is one of the world's largest non-OEM designers and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft. In addition to its Wichita and Chanute facilities in Kansas, Spirit has locations in Tulsa and McAlester, Okla.; Kinston, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Prestwick, Scotland; Preston, England; Subang, Malaysia; and Saint-Nazaire, France. In the U.S., Spirit's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components. Additionally, Spirit provides aftermarket customer support services, including spare parts, maintenance/repair/overhaul, and fleet support services in North America, Europe and Asia. SpiritEurope produces wing components for a host of customers, including Airbus.
“Spirit AeroSystems brings decades of composite manufacturing experience to the team which allows us to quickly build an aircraft like the V-280,” said Phil Anderson, Spirit AeroSystems senior vice president of Defense. “This is a major milestone for the technology demonstrator unit. Spirit AeroSystems is proud to be on Team Valor and we are excited to be designing and building the composite cabin and cockpit for the V-280.”
“U.S. ground forces require significant increase in speed and range to operate against and strike adversary systems much deeper than existing platforms,” said Mitch Snyder, executive vice president of Military Business for Bell Helicopter. “That is the vision for Future Vertical Lift. The V-280 advanced technology tiltrotor provides the Department of Defense (DoD) with unmatched speed, range and payload for expeditionary maneuver to win these future conflicts. We are confident in the capability that the V-280 will provide, and we are proud to have Spirit AeroSystems adding their expertise to Team Valor and to the V-280. Spirit AeroSystems beginning major assembly on the V-280 fuselage brings this high-performance aircraft one step closer to completion.”
The delivery of the first V-280 fuselage to the Bell Helicopter facility in Amarillo, Texas, is expected later this year. First flight of the V-280 Technology Demonstrator is anticipated in the second half of 2017.
With more than twice the speed and twice the range of current helicopter platforms, the Bell V-280 is designed to provide combatant commanders with the ability to reach the battlefield while providing superior low-speed agility at the objective. The efficient speed and reduced reaction time provided by the V-280 will allow operators to outmaneuver their adversaries. The tiltrotor’s speed, range and payload significantly reduce logistical, security and medical footprints, freeing up personnel and additional combat power.
Bell Helicopter has led the formation of Team Valor, a group of preeminent aerospace companies bringing the best engineering resources and industrial capabilities to meet the Department of Defense’s anticipated needs.
Team Valor includes: Lockheed Martin, Spirit AeroSystems, Astronics, Eaton, General Electric, GKN Aerospace, Israel Aerospace Industries, Lord, Meggitt, Moog and TRU Simulation and Training.
About AMRDEC: AMRDEC is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers. AMRDEC employs nearly 11,000 civilian scientists, researchers, and engineers.
About RDECOM: RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations.
About Spirit AeroSystems Inc.: Spirit AeroSystems, with headquarters in Wichita, Kan., USA, is one of the world's largest non-OEM designers and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft. In addition to its Wichita and Chanute facilities in Kansas, Spirit has locations in Tulsa and McAlester, Okla.; Kinston, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Prestwick, Scotland; Preston, England; Subang, Malaysia; and Saint-Nazaire, France. In the U.S., Spirit's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components. Additionally, Spirit provides aftermarket customer support services, including spare parts, maintenance/repair/overhaul, and fleet support services in North America, Europe and Asia. SpiritEurope produces wing components for a host of customers, including Airbus.
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