Bell, a Textron subsidiary, has delivered to the U.S. Army the first virtual prototype of the MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, or FLRAA.
A second virtual prototype of the FLRAA is expected to arrive at the Army Aviation Center of Excellence in the coming weeks, the service branch said Tuesday.
“We are incredibly proud to have reached this critical milestone,” commented Col. Jeffrey Poquette, project manager for FLRAA, about the delivery. “Our virtual prototype demonstrates a clear path to delivering a next-generation multi-mission aircraft that will fundamentally change how the Army conducts long-range assault operations.”
According to the Army, the virtual prototype will enable soldiers to assess the weapon system and give feedback, informing future design improvements, software development, verification, integration and test. The technology will also help identify tactics, techniques and procedures through experimentation.
Table of Contents
Army Development of the FLRAA
The Army used a rapid prototyping pathway for the FLRAA. In 2022, Bell received a contract to build the MV-75 based on the V-280 Valor tiltrotor. The program completed a preliminary design, achieved Milestone B approval and then transitioned to the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase in 2024.
“Thanks to consistent support from Army leadership, the Department of Defense, and Congress, we’ve been able to accelerate the FLRAA program and bring next-generation aviation capabilities to the warfighter faster than ever,” said Brig. Gen. David Phillips, program executive officer for Army Aviation.
What Is the FLRAA?
The MV-75 FLRAA is a multi-mission aircraft designed to cover twice as far and fly twice as fast as the Army’s current fleet of long-range assault vessels. It will have a modular open systems approach to enable faster fielding and integration of new capabilities.
The aircraft is expected to complement the Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to improve survivability in contested environments.
Related Articles
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday voted 26-3 to pass a bill that would appropriate $851.9 billion in discretionary defense funding for fiscal year 2026. Weapons Systems Procurement The committee said Thursday the proposed FY 2026 Defense Appropriations Act would allocate $171.3 billion for weapon systems procurement and $140.5 billion for platform research, development and testing. The measure includes a $280 million increase in funding for F-135 spare engines and an additional $500 million for F-35 sustainment spare parts; an additional $216 million for drone and counter-drone tech capabilities; $4.6 billion more for air and missile defense efforts; and a
NASA wants to team up with industry to develop advanced space technologies for future commercial or government use. The space agency on Wednesday issued an announcement of collaboration opportunity, or ACO, to solicit partnership proposals. Managed by the Space Technology Mission Directorate, the ACO gives industry partners access to NASA subject matter expertise, facilities, software and hardware to accelerate and enhance capability development. According to NASA, the ACO will be open for five years and will serve as an umbrella opportunity for topic-specific appendices that would be released every six to 12 months to address evolving needs. For the 2025
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., head of the Department of Health and Human Services, and other government and healthcare technology leaders have committed to delivering a patient-centric digital health ecosystem. At an event hosted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at the White House, over 60 companies pledged to collaborate and deliver results that benefit the public in the first quarter of 2026. Meanwhile, 11 health systems and providers said they will support patient use. Seven electronic health record companies pledged to facilitate data exchange. According to Kennedy, bureaucrats and entrenched interests have made health data inaccessible to patients,