US Army picks Bell's V-280 tiltrotor for its Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, a $1.3B development contract

Bell Textron/MV-75 Cheyenne II

The Army chose Bell for its Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, a tiltrotor to replace part of the Black Hawk fleet, with a $1.3 billion contract. The first $232 million covered 19 months of preliminary design and virtual prototypes, not physical aircraft. Bell's V-280 demonstrator had logged over 200 flight hours in the competition.

• Contract value $1.3B; initial obligation $232M over 19 months.
• Covers preliminary design and virtual prototypes; no physical aircraft yet.
• V-280 Valor flew more than 200 hours during risk-reduction work.
• Will replace part of the UH-60 Black Hawk fleet, in service since 1979.