Bell V-280 Valor Prepping for Flight-test Program
Bell's next tiltrotor design is 93 percent done and conducting ground testing in preparation for first flight around September 2017.
Though smaller than its predecessor V-22, Bell’s next-generation military tiltrotor affords several advantages. Because its engines remain fixed and only the proprotors pivot, the mechanism is simpler, and there is no exhaust downwash on takeoff and landing.