Jakarta –
Besides the V-22 Osprey, there are also other aircraft that use newer tiltrotors. Namely the V-280 Valor which will be made by Bell.
The name of the V-22 Osprey is on the rise after an accident in Japan, which killed at least one of its eight crew members.
So, even though the V-280 Valor is categorized as a vertical lift aircraft because it uses a tiltrotor, this aircraft is not a replacement for the V-22, but rather replaces the UH-60 Black Hawk transport helicopter.
The Black Hawk has been operated by the United States Army (US Army) since 1979 in various military operations. Reporting from Defenseone, the US Army awarded the contract to manufacture the V-280 to Bell Textron.
The contract has an initial value of USD 232 million, and is used to develop the prototype. However, later the contract value will reach USD 7.1 billion in the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program. Bell beat the Sikorsky-Boeing team in the tender to manufacture this tiltrotor aircraft.
For information, this tiltrotor aircraft can take off and land like a helicopter, namely by pointing its propellers upwards. Then when it is in the air, the propeller is directed forward to fly like a fixed-wing aircraft.
The first V-280 was exhibited in 2013, and first flew in Amarillo, Texas on December 18 2017. In December 2020, the V-280 was flight tested for 200 hours and reached a maximum speed of 565km/hour.
The plane is designed to fly at a speed of 520km/hour or 280 knots, as the name suggests. The flight range is 3,900km with a maximum takeoff weight of around 14 tons.
The main difference between the V-280 and the V-22 is the mechanism for changing the direction of the propeller. On the V-22, the engine changes direction according to the propeller, while on the V-280 only the propeller changes direction, and the engine remains facing forward.
Then, on the wings there is a drive shaft that connects the two propellers to each engine. So, if one of the engines has a problem and dies, the two propellers can still rotate using the remaining engine.
Initially, the engine used in the V-280 was a General Electric T64 (CH-53 Sea Stallion transport helicopter engine), but later the engine was changed to a Rolls Royce 1107F, similar to the one used in the V-22. This change makes the power increase from 5000 hp to 7000 hp.
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(asj/asj)
2023-12-01 04:15:03
#V22 #Osprey #V280 #Valor #unique
