Yes, the V-22 had its problems early on: Four accidents during development left 30 people dead. Boeing and Sikorsky are in the running, too, with a high-speed helicopter they call the SB-1 Defiant, also pegged to start flying late next year.Įven if the Valor wins out, it won't render Marines’ Osprey instantly obsolete. The first version, for the Army, should take to the air by the end of 2017, though full deployment wouldn't happen until about 2030.įirst, though, Bell, which is working with Lockheed Martin here, needs to win the Pentagon's joint multi-role technology demonstrator program competition. It's also pitching the tiltrotor to the Navy, offering a revised design that could fit on cramped aircraft carrier decks and inside hangars. But Bell says it can offer the V-280 for just $20 million a pop. The Osprey still holds the strength advantage, carrying roughly double the V-280's 14 soldiers or 10,000 pounds of gear.
And they're oriented so the V-280 to carry forward-firing and side-facing weaponry, which on the Osprey threatened to hit the engines or rotors. Their placement allows troops to hop in from the sides, instead of using only the rear ramp, like on the Osprey. Those non-rotating engines, meantime, won’t burn grass or landing pads during takeoff and landing.
