Black Hawk Down. The legendary Black Hawk helicopters will be replaced by a convertible plane – VTM.cz

Convertoplanes are machines capable of turning the propellers so that they can fly like a helicopter as well as a classic airplane. A number of armies already worked on them during the Cold War, and the Americans made the most progress, introducing the CV-22 convertible into service. Now they will go even further and affect the shape of US military aviation for decades to come. The decision was made that the Bell V-280 Valor convertible will replace all UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in service (the legendary “Black Hawk”).

Black Hawk retires

The US Army has announced before the end of 2022 that it has awarded the long-awaited FLRAA (Future Long Range Assault Aircraft) contract to Bell Textron. The initial value is $1.3 billion, with subsequent manufacturing contracts potentially increasing the value of the program to $70 billion over its lifetime

It represents the US military’s biggest decision about purchasing helicopters over the past 40+ years. The decision to choose a second-generation convertible is not only a big victory for Bell Textron in the domestic market, but also a victory for the company on the world stage. It can be assumed that many allies and partner countries will follow the example of the US Army (many operate the UH-60 today). The paradox for the Czech Republic is that it buys UH-1Y aircraft from Bell, which is a generation older.

V-280

Following the announcement, Bell Textron and US military officials held a media briefing at which Maj. Gen. Robert Barrie (US Army Aviation Program Officer) said an initial contract commitment of $232 million will be awarded to Bell Textron over the next 19 months, allowing it to continue working on the aircraft’s preliminary design and deliver its virtual prototypes by 2025 .

Convertoplane prototype Bell V-280 Valor

Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, director of the Army’s Multifunctional Warfare Team, added: „V several projects are currently being prepared under the FLRAA program. This first represents the Army Air Force’s strategic pivot to the speed and range our military needs to dominate future battlefields. The prototyping and risk reduction efforts allowed the military to significantly reduce the time it took to make today’s announcement.”

In the first prototype of the Valor aircraft, the design of the flip-up rotors can be clearly seen, which follow the folded fuselage complete with a V-shaped tail instead of the tail rotor of classic helicopters. The platform is equipped with a side door (instead of a ramp like the CV-22 Osprey) and a three-wheel landing gear that is retractable. If the V-280 was finally selected, it would be the US military’s first aircraft with tilt engines.

Converter plan vs. coaxial helicopter

Originally developed under the Army’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator program (launched in 2013), the V-280 has gone through the design/production phase and completed more than three years of flight testing to verify capabilities. Officially launched in 2019, the FLRAA program falls under the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) initiative aimed at modernizing the capabilities and air assets used by the service and pitted the Valor convertible against Sikorsky-Boeing’s Defiant X coaxial pusher helicopter .

Defiant X coaxial helicopter from Sikorsky-Boeing

After awarding the contract to the competition, both Sikorsky and Boeing issued statements saying that “remain convinced that the Defiant X is the breakthrough aircraft the US military needs to meet its complex missions today and into the future.” After reviewing the feedback from the military, both companies will evaluate their next steps.

The Valor prototype completed its first flight on schedule in December 2017. The Sikorsky-Boeing team pushed back the deadline many times due to issues with rotor blade manufacturing, and development of the power unit was not smooth either. The technology demonstrator was finally launched in March 2019.

Start in 2030

Before being decommissioned in June 2021, the Bell V-280 prototype flew for more than 214 hours, during which it reached a maximum cruising speed of 305 knots (approx. 565 km/h). It has demonstrated agility at low speeds, the ability to fly long distances and autonomous flight.

The U.S. Army plans to begin fielding the V-280 alongside the winner of the ongoing Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program (either the Bell 360 Invictus or the Sikorsky Raider X) around 2030 to meet the Army’s modernization goals. The number of V-280s the Army wants to acquire has not yet been determined, but is expected to be high, given that the aircraft will eventually replace the various UH-60s the Air Force has at its disposal.

Anyway, one era, symbolized by the film Black Hawk Down, about the most famous deployment of UH-60 helicopters, ends and a new one begins. The era of convertible planes begins.