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http://www.star-telegram.com/news/b...s/baker-ahles-kaskovich/article147500579.html
A rendering of Bell Helicopter’s V-280 Valor tilt-rotor, which will compete for an Army contract to replace older helicopters. Bell Helicopter
Bell Helicopter’s newest tilt-rotor is almost ready for its first flight.
The V-280 Valor, which the helicopter manufacturer is designing as part of the U.S. Army’s joint-multirole demonstrator program, is about 95 percent complete at Bell’s plant in Amarillo. The company said it expects the V-280 Valor prototype to have its first flight in September.
Unlike the V-22 tilt-rotor that is also manufactured in Amarillo, the V-280 is much smaller and allows passengers to exit from side doors instead of the back door on the V-22.
Another critical difference is how the V-280 transitions from vertical to horizontal flight as only its gearboxes rotate on the aircraft. On the V-22, the entire engine rotates.
“We’re taking all the lessons learned [from the V-22] and [moving them] into the V-280,” Bell’s chief executive Mitch Snyder told reporters during a media session last week.
A team of 13 technicians is building the V-280 using the latest computer design software and 3D printing technology. As engineers at Bell’s headquarters in Fort Worth make design changes in the computer software, the technicians can see the changes on a tablet while they’re rebuilding or installing a part on the V-280.
“We know we’re building the most current configuration every time,” V-280 assembly leader Jeff Josselyn said.
With the V-280, Bell is competing against a design made by Sikorsky and Boeing as the U.S. Army decides which prototype could eventually replace its fleet of aging Blackhawk and Apache helicopters.
A rendering of Bell Helicopter’s V-280 Valor tilt-rotor, which will compete for an Army contract to replace older helicopters. Bell Helicopter
Bell Helicopter’s newest tilt-rotor is almost ready for its first flight.
The V-280 Valor, which the helicopter manufacturer is designing as part of the U.S. Army’s joint-multirole demonstrator program, is about 95 percent complete at Bell’s plant in Amarillo. The company said it expects the V-280 Valor prototype to have its first flight in September.
Unlike the V-22 tilt-rotor that is also manufactured in Amarillo, the V-280 is much smaller and allows passengers to exit from side doors instead of the back door on the V-22.
Another critical difference is how the V-280 transitions from vertical to horizontal flight as only its gearboxes rotate on the aircraft. On the V-22, the entire engine rotates.
“We’re taking all the lessons learned [from the V-22] and [moving them] into the V-280,” Bell’s chief executive Mitch Snyder told reporters during a media session last week.
A team of 13 technicians is building the V-280 using the latest computer design software and 3D printing technology. As engineers at Bell’s headquarters in Fort Worth make design changes in the computer software, the technicians can see the changes on a tablet while they’re rebuilding or installing a part on the V-280.
“We know we’re building the most current configuration every time,” V-280 assembly leader Jeff Josselyn said.
With the V-280, Bell is competing against a design made by Sikorsky and Boeing as the U.S. Army decides which prototype could eventually replace its fleet of aging Blackhawk and Apache helicopters.
