CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A competition to create the replacement for the aging UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter ended on Monday, and the winner is Bell Textron’s Valor tiltrotor.
The Army announced in a news release that Bell has won the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition. The news was confirmed to Clarksville Now by Doug Englen, Military Sales & Strategy manager, Advanced Vertical Lift Systems Sales and Strategy at Bell.
“I am excited to be part of this momentous day for our Army,” Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, said in the Army news release. “The thoughtful and disciplined execution of the FLRAA program strategy will deliver the transformational capabilities we need to support the Joint force, strengthen deterrence and win in multi-domain operations.”
The Army initiated the FLRAA program in 2019 as part of its Future Vertical Lift initiative to replace a portion of its assault and utility helicopter fleet. The FLRAA is intended to eventually replace the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which has been in service for more than four decades and is a primary aircraft in the fleet of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell.
Bell’s tiltrotor Valor aircraft was competing against Sikorsky-Boeing’s coaxial rotor Defiant X, according to Breaking Defense. The new FLRAA fleet is intended to be in operation by 2030.
“This down-select represents a strategic pivot for Army Aviation to the transformational speed and range our Army needs to dominate future battlefields,” said Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, director of the Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team. “The prototyping and risk-reduction efforts allowed the Army to significantly reduce the time needed to get to today’s announcement.”
FLRAA will expand the depth of the battlefield by extending the reach of air assault missions and enabling ground forces to converge through decentralized operations at extended distances, the release said. FLRAA’s inherent reach and standoff capabilities will ensure mission success through tactical maneuver at operational and strategic distances.
“We are honored that the U.S. Army has selected the Bell V-280 Valor as its next-generation assault aircraft,” said Scott C. Donnelly, Textron’s chairman and chief executive officer, in a news release. “We intend to honor that trust by building a truly remarkable and transformational weapon system to meet the Army’s mission requirements. We are excited to play an important role in the future of Army Aviation.”
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The Army followed a deliberate and disciplined process in evaluating proposals to ensure rigorous review and equitable treatment of both competitors, the Army said. By implementing reform initiatives granted by Congress that were designed to streamline the acquisition process, this contract will deliver virtual prototypes that can be updated quickly and affordably, the Army news release said.
“This is an exciting time for the U.S. Army, Bell, and Team Valor as we modernize the Army’s aviation capabilities for decades to come,” Mitch Snyder, president and CEO of Bell, said in the release. “Bell has a long history supporting Army Aviation and we are ready to equip Soldiers with the speed and range they need to compete and win using the most mature, reliable, and affordable high-performance long-range assault weapon system in the world.”