Bell Helicopters revealed that its new next-generation tiltrotor, the V-280 Valor, is to carry out its first flight within this year. Being developed for the US Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, V-280 Valor will be equipped with infrared heat-suppressing mechanisms and will feature a fuselage designed to reduce radar signature. A senior executive at Bell Helicopters stated that the tiltrotor would also have advanced-electronic warfare capabilities, including radar jamming. Bell's V-280 Valor is slated to be operational by the 2030s. Bell's V-280 Valor resembles the shape of the V-22 Osprey helicopter, however the engines are not similar in propulsion direction changing methods. In the V-22 Osprey, the engine at the tip of the wing is rotating as a whole. In the V280 Valor, the engine is stationary and does not rotate in any direction. Instead, the powertrain changes the direction of the propulsion produced by a special gearbox and motor.
211216-N-QI061-1222 NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (December 16, 2021) An MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), assigned to Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19), sits on the flight line at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Dec. 16, 2021. VUP-19, the Navy’s first Triton squadron, will continue to maintain and operate the aircraft off the East Coast to further develop the concept of operations and refine tactics, techniques, and procedures. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan T. Beard/ Released)