Updated with photos.
NASHVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – During the Army Aviation Association of America’s annual conference in Nashville, the U.S. Army announced that its Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft will be named the MV-75 Cheyenne II.
The MV-75 Cheyenne II represents a new era of Army aviation, with capabilities that far exceed the current fleet, according to a news release. This medium-sized, vertical lift, multi-mission aircraft is said to combine the vertical agility of a helicopter with the speed and range of an airplane, allowing it to fly twice as fast and twice as far.
Brent G. Ingraham, assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, said these tactical characteristics enable full squad insertion at extended range, expanding medevac reach well beyond today’s “golden hour,” as well as enabling large-scale, long-range air assault operations that can reshape the battlefield.
101st Airborne Division will be first with MV-75 Cheyenne II
The 101st Airborne Division will be the first to field and operate the MV-75, which was announced at last year’s annual Army Aviation Association of America conference.
As reported by Clarksville Now in December 2022, the Bell Textron’s Valor tiltrotor is set to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, utilized by 5th and 6th Battalions, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade.
The newly named MV-75 Cheyenne II is scheduled to begin arriving at Fort Campbell in 2030, and the Army is exploring options to accelerate the process as part of the Army’s Transformation Initiative, according to previous reports.
| MORE: Video of the Bell Textron’s Valor tiltrotor in flight
500 Native American tribe names considered
The Army had gone through a deliberate process in evaluating more than 500 Native American tribes and found that the MV-75’s speed, range and adaptability mirrored the historical attributes of the Cheyenne tribes.
Ingraham said that the name of the MV-75 Cheyenne II reflects more than heritage – it reflects identity. “The Cheyenne people represent a resilient warrior culture and embody the key attributes of the MV-75 – speed, reach, lethality, and adaptability,” he said.
Today, the Cheyenne are represented by the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma, said the release.
Name previously used in 1960s
The name was previously used in the late 1960s for the AH-56 Cheyenne, which was an advanced, high-speed attack helicopter.
“Although that program did not proceed, its legacy of innovation and speed continues with the new tiltrotor platform,” said the release. “The MV-75 Cheyenne II is also the very first entirely new platform that has been introduced into the Army inventory since the 1980s, representing a quantum lead ahead in technology.”
Ingraham said this aircraft will transform Army aviation and give soldiers the decisive advantage they need to fight and win on today’s and tomorrow’s battlefield.
“It not only enhances the lethality but also revolutionizes our aircraft design and construction through the advanced open architecture and model-based systems engineering,” said Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Maneuver Air.
“The MV-75 is a transformational aircraft that will provide our Joint Force with unparallelled versatility to dominate a wide array of mission sets,” said Col. Jeffrey Poquette, Project Manager for the MV-75 Cheyenne II. “We are honored to have the Cheyenne tribes’ approval to use their name, which embodies the power of this aircraft.”
| MILITARY NEWS: More articles about Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division