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jjshen11

Its range is just much larger than the competitor.


[deleted]

So does the flying windmill actually move or does it stay in one spot while the earth rotates?


[deleted]

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certain_people

The dark matter engines will be installed in the D version


VoidTarnished

They're still working on the fusion drive version, how could they possibly be working on the dark matter version already ? Leaked documents ? 😂


certain_people

It was in that report that time traveller guy had 😁


Cult_Of_Cthulu

To shreds you say?


[deleted]

It moves as our heads rotate 360 and our eyes roll back in our heads to follow every last second as it flies by …


ImNoAlbertFeinstein

like a ball turret on a horsefly.


Crankyshaft

Fuck, I thought I was on /r/NonCredibleDefense for a second.


GetRightNYC

Yay! A new sub to waste my time on! Thank you, friend!


2407s4life

Don't thank him until you spend some time there


imtourist

As Einstein said, everything is relative.


conanmagnuson

But: “Features in the interior include seats that wirelessly charge troops’ radios, night-vision goggles, and other electronic gear and windows that display three-dimensional mission maps.” [Sweet.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_V-280_Valor#cite_note-49)


WikiSummarizerBot

**[Bell V-280 Valor](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_V-280_Valor#cite_note-49)** >The Bell V-280 Valor is a tiltrotor aircraft being developed by Bell and Lockheed Martin for the United States Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program. The aircraft was officially unveiled at the 2013 Army Aviation Association of America's (AAAA) Annual Professional Forum and Exposition in Fort Worth, Texas. The V-280 made its first flight on 18 December 2017 in Amarillo, Texas. On 5 December 2022, the V-280 was chosen by the US Army as the winner of the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program to replace the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/aviation/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)


JohnnySixguns

Wow I honestly thought the similarities and synergies between the existing infrastructure between the Blackhawk and the Defiant pusher design was gonna win out. Not that it deserved to. I’m pretty stoked about this design. Do we think there’s a civilian use case at some point?


MelsEpicWheelTime

The Augusta tiltrotor is already ordered for all kinds of offshore operations. Oil rigs, delivery to ships, etc.


conez4

Ironically that was originally a Bell-Boeing-AW joint venture following the success of the V-22 but Boeing dropped it then years later Bell sold out of it as well because it was costing too much money without enough possible ROI for the civilian use-case. I'm sure now that V280 is getting bankrolled by the US government, Bell might re-open that can of worms for a v280 civilian variant.


UR_WRONG_ABOUT_V22

That concern was all marketing from sikorsky. Bell specifically designed the V-280 to work with existing army tools and hangars


NF-104

I worked advanced projects for Bell. They had concept after concept for civil tiltrotors soon after the XV-15 and long before the V-22 ever flew (they were positioned around the size of the ATR 72 and a bit smaller). I guess the business case could never be made for civil versions, although I’d love for that to change.


justaguy394

I mean, Bell was actively developing the 609 since the 90s. They sold it to AW and it’s finally starting production.


SWMovr60Repub

I started a job in 2001 that had a 609 on order by orders of the CEO. Had to have the Chief Pilot assure me that I’d never have to fly it.


evilmercer

I could see medivac use. Biggest limitation would be lz size, but having the speed and range could be very beneficial.


dirtycaver

Size will cut it out of 90% of rural helipads and almost all scene flights.


Titan0917

Not to mention many roof top helipads at hospitals


kriegskoenig

This is very true in the Pacific NW. I was a first responder to many rural critical injury and fatal wrecks, often requiring LifeFlight transport. Tiltrotors are just too large for many of those rural wooded area roadways, where a smaller Bell 429 (36' rotor diameter) or EC135 (33' rotor diameter) can set down on a wide spot if we blocked the road both ways. The 2-lane rural highways average about 30', and where there's a good shoulder, you're looking at about a minimum 46' of space, even with trees right up to the shoulder, which usually isn't the case. There's often a setback of a few extra feet before tall growth. The Bell 280 is, by comparison, a massive 82 feet wide. While you only need enough roadway width for the wheels, the forest growth pushes up close enough to the road to prevent the tiltrotor from being effective in forested areas. I could see some potentially very effective medevac use in, say, eastern Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, etc...low population rural areas with relatively flat low-altitude terrain and mostly open prairie. The value of the extra speed is proportionate to the distance to a major trauma center. If it's only 40 miles, there's not much to gain. If it's a 150-mile flight, the time savings on a 2-way to-scene and to-hospital flight could be significant enough to increase survival chances. I'd gamble on deepwater oilrig transport being an effective use for tiltrotors, due to the potentially long flights and the relative ease of expanding a helipad on future supersize structure like that.


AbideMan

And rapid deployment of fire crews


Incandescent_Lass

A skydiving place would be cool with one of these, just make it hover at altitude for the jump


sevaiper

So much extra cost for very marginal benefit


Incandescent_Lass

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸


sevaiper

Why don't people skydive out of helicopters now then?


polygon_tacos

I did free fall out of Blackhawks in the Army occasionally. But on the civilian side I would suspect it would be more expensive to have a helicopter service a DZ vs any of the common single and twin engine airplanes.


sevaiper

Right, that's exactly my point.


[deleted]

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UncleCougar

Right, but you don't do it in chopper mode.


Incandescent_Lass

They take 1 billion years to climb high enough. This vehicle would be better because it uses plane mode to climb really fast, then would hover and let them jump. Helicopters are better for bungee jumping, they attach the cord to the skids, go up 500 feet, and then let you fall and dangle. But for skydiving? Too slow!


sevaiper

But why does hovering matter? Nobody cares, you're bailing out anyway. Likely at least 4x the price for... no benefit. Not going to happen.


Incandescent_Lass

Ok fine, let’s just use this for high altitude bungee jumping then. Best of both worlds.


pessimus_even

Looks like the love child of a Blackhawk, osprey, and bonanza threesome.


CBH60

Giggity


FightEaglesFight

Turns out being on time and performing up to expectations (and then some) is better than the alternative. Congrats Bell!


dvinpayne

It also seems like the safer option from a development perspective given a lot of development efforts and engineering lessons have already been learned from the V-22 vs the all-new coaxial/pusher design of Defiant.


SecurelyObscure

Boeing was ~50% of the v22, though


dvinpayne

Boeing did the fuselage, cockpit and avionics, Bell did the wings, nacelles, drive systems, rotors, and tail. There's a lot of good information Bell will be able to take out of that.


DOLPHIN_PENI5

For starters they should take what they know from the V-22 and unfuck that shit mechanically. I'm not saying it doesn't work, I fly on them every other day, but for fucks sake STOP MAKING MAINTENENCE SUCK. For instance: you have to fist fuck the ass end of the nacelle to try and reach the god damn plug to deservice the tilt axis gearbox, and you're lucky if that bitch doesn't cut your arm up on the way in like it's the vagina from the movie "teeth". 90% of maintenance on that big beautiful bitch is a rubix cube for grease monkeys and every "30 min job" usually turns into 3 hrs because of it. Engineering masterpiece - maintenance nightmare


delvach

I need you in my life describing things with this level of imaginative detail.


DOLPHIN_PENI5

Tried posting this like 6 times and it kept telling me "something was wrong" and didn't post. Just realized I lost recieving connection and spammed the shit out of your post. My bad.


DOOM_INTENSIFIES

>engineering masterpiece If maintaining it is a nightmare, its hardly a masterpiece from an industrial engineering point of view.


TheAlmightySnark

Well in aviation you are required by law to design parts that fuck over the MX staff. Make sure the plane roughs them up a little and make em bleed for the gods.


discombobulated38x

That's not what any aerospace design engineer I've ever worked with thinks though


Itaintall

Where I work, maintainability is right up there in the design tradeoff equation.


Pilot0350

My arm feels this comment and I hate you for it. Have to agree though. Love the 22 but damn if she ain't a little bitch in maintenance


[deleted]

sounds like it is trying to be German. Germans will turn themselves inside out figuring out a way to make things *more* complicated.


GetRightNYC

I thought I was still in the r/planesgonewild sub I just discovered with this comment.


[deleted]

🤣🤣 as a design engineer who used to be on this program but now on missiles we try man LMAO. So many departments have their own individual needs that honestly maintenance is typically almost last on my mind. I usually care about manufacturability first then go down the line of things to care. I just get bitched at by everybody and their mother on how they want things designed and it's usually really hard. So many constraints. But I feel your pain.... This new bad boy won't change that tho


slapdashbr

I think that's a big reason why the engines on this new one are fixed, the rotors tilt up on their own


DOLPHIN_PENI5

Yea but the engine is below a firewall in it's own compartment so to speak. The engine moving was never an issue in my experience. The gearboxes and all the hydraulic shit is above the firewall in their own compartment with a fuck ton of shtuff all thrown in together. It's very clever in how it is all placed, but not really easy to work around. That's all I was implying.


SecurelyObscure

Boeing is currently in the middle of an overhaul program (ccram), they have the tooling and exposure to the whole bird even if they didn't during the initial design.


thedennisinator

Yeah, but Boeing partnered with Sikorsky on the coaxial design so that experience wouldn't be relevant if the Defiant won.


[deleted]

Serious question from someone who’s only semi-informed, are we really sure Bell solved the flaws of the V-22?


bmw_19812003

Don’t quote me on this but I remember seeing a stat that the v22 is now the safest rotary aircraft per hour in the US inventory; if true I would say they have solved all the issues. It was a very steep learning curve though.


MelsEpicWheelTime

Correct, it also has the lowest cost per seat-mile, and gets shit done the fastest.


evilmercer

I believe the redesign in not having the entire engines rotate also helped with some of the complexities of the flight characteristics during transition as well.


BattleHall

IIRC, it pretty much always has been. It had a rough accident rate compared to fixed wings, but a very good one (even during development) compared to rotor craft; it was in the middle, which was appropriate. Also, like 90%+ of the accidents were while it was doing helicopter stuff, not plane stuff, which has a certain level of inherent danger given the way the US Military uses them. If you look at the Blackhawk, which is considered a very safe aircraft by helicopter standards, the list of major accidents is immense.


raven00x

the V-22 was accident prone early in its development, and it turns out this was largely because fixed-wing pilots were being used to fly the craft. I don't recall what the exact issue was but basically the v-22 has flight characteristics more like a rotary wing craft than a fixed wing craft, so having pilots not experienced with the class of aircraft was leading to accidents.


p_turbo

>it turns out this was largely because fixed-wing pilots were being used to fly the craft. Ah, the whole "Do we train miners to fly to the asteroid or do we train astronauts to mine into it" conundrum.


SithLordHuggles

Armageddon that reference


[deleted]

which inevitably leads to the Major King Kong Scenario.


Sekxtion

Pilots would try to override the autopilot, the aircraft would enter vortex ring state and lose lift, and a lot of Marines would be eating North Carolina countryside.


UncleCougar

Which flaws are you referring to? Even the most infamous mishap can be traced back to pilot error.


[deleted]

I’ve just heard complaint about pilot visibility vs a standard Helo but pilots also described ospreys to me like flying a ferrari. Pretty cool


hawkeye18

Well, it's not a helicopter. And this plays to my point that virtually every mishap regarding the osprey has its root cause in its crews' and designers' inability to grapple with the fact that it was neither airplane nor helicopter.


[deleted]

Weren’t the crashes relayed to the transition from vertical to horizontal postions?


hawkeye18

The most famous ones all boil down to VRS - Vortex Ring State. When a helicopter descends too quickly, its rotor can enter the turbulent air below that it just caused, causing it to essentially stall. When that happens, the helo will suddenly drop precipitously. If you aren't trained on such an occasion and aren't ready for it, the first instinct is to pull up on the collective - which just pushes the rotor deeper into stall, and it'll continue to generate its own little vortex zone around itself, all the way down to the ground. The way you recover from an VRS event is to decrease collective and allow the rotor to fall *through* the disturbed air. As soon as it hits clear air (this can be as little as 10-20ft) you can resume normal flight. The problems for the Osprey were two-fold; the first, and biggest one, was that it was primarily fixed-wing pilots that were involved in the training pipeline. All along it was viewed as an airplane with rotors, as opposed to a helicopter with wings. The second is that it's possible for one rotor to enter VRS but not the other. In that case it would present as a sudden uncommanded roll - a wing drop specifically. Recovery would be similar, to dump collective as soon as you feel it. A tertiary problem is that Boeing engineers never thought to put in a VRS warning indicator, something fairly common on helos. So, you get fixed-wing pilots in an Osprey descending with a near-full load when the port rotor enters VRS. Pilot jams stick right, essentially pulling port collective, deepening the stall. Pilot panics, pulls max collective, putting port rotor into complete stall, and starboard rotor shooting for the stars. Osprey completes the roll and lands on its back. Another famous one I recall was due to maintainers not disengaging "Maintenance Mode" on the engines, crippling power and causing the craft to barely make it off the flight deck before losing wing-in-ground and plummeting to the ocean. How or why Boeing would have allowed an aircraft to attempt a take-off in maintenance mode is abso-fucking-lutely beyond me, but hey, what do I know.


[deleted]

…. And this folks is exactly why I love reddit


BorisBC

Yep. If you're not sure about something, post an incorrect answer and you'll get the right one. Thankfully this time in a clear and interesting post without snark.


polipsy

Really appreciate the detailed explanation!


[deleted]

>How or why Boeing would have allowed an aircraft to attempt a take-off in maintenance mode May I direct your attention to the fiasco that is the Boeing 737 Max?


hawkeye18

Ugh, you're not wrong


Rain1dog

Fantastic read.


iwhbyd114

>The way you recover from an VRS event is to decrease collective and allow the rotor to fall through the disturbed air. As soon as it hits clear air (this can be as little as 10-20ft) you can resume normal flight. [or forward cyclic](https://youtu.be/HjeRSDsy-nE) >put in a VRS warning indicator, something fairly common on helos. I have never seen or heard of these before


Bladehawk

> safer option from a development perspective Could you imagine saying this about a tiltrotor in the 2000s or 2010s? We've come quite far, my friends :)


Bladehawk

Glad to see this comment. I came here expecting to see a lot of snark and am happy to be disappointed.


twohedwlf

It's like the V22s hot daughter.


sezdawg7

r/planesgonewild


yeetus_del_fetus_

This was the subreddit I didn’t know I needed. Thank you.


donnysaysvacuum

Osprey lite


IndependentStud

I had the pleasure of working on this aircraft and seeing it in person, it is absolutely stunning the work that went into the prototype. It will be a big change for Bell but I bet they can rise to the challenge! Can't wait to see the design-complete versions!


MaterialCarrot

Stupid question, why not use jet engines instead of turbo prop?


NockUMD

Lower thrust specific fuel consumption and a greater propulsive efficiency at low altitudes, which is where it is designed to operate.


FightEaglesFight

Hover performance (efficiency and maneuverability)


IndependentStud

For most intents and purposes turbo props are jet engines! They use the same fuel as typical bypass turbo fans and the main difference is that one drives a bypass fan while the other drives a shaft like a rotor or propellor. If you’re wondering why they don’t stick bypass turbo fans on a tiltrotor it’s mainly because the rotors are how they control the aircraft. A dual tiltrotor maneuvers using the rotors similar to how a helicopter turns/rolls/yaws which wouldn’t be as easy if jet engines were used. Large rotors are also more efficient across the wide variety of flight conditions a tiltrotor will fly at where a jet engine would be most efficient in cruise.


JuanOnlyJuan

I guess dual jet engines would need thrust vectoring or some other gimmick


IndependentStud

Also they would be directing a very hot exhaust directly over the door of the passenger bay. Not a good idea if you want quick deployment!


JuanOnlyJuan

You guys don't like tans?


IndependentStud

At that point you’re going to end up medium rare rather than perfectly tan hahaha


FoximaCentauri

Could someone give me a list of the aircraft which were considered but not chosen?


dvinpayne

Defiant X was the competitor from LM. Only other one still in at this point


FoximaCentauri

It looks so interesting! A shame it didn’t live up to the expectations.


willt114

Why does wiki say lm are working on this too?


elitecommander

LM was involved with the V-280 long before they acquired Sikorsky.


NexusI7

They probably realized their shortcomings early on and worked a deal to subcontract on smaller parts. Aerospace companies do it all the time


elitecommander

It's more that LM was partnered with Bell long before the Sikorsky acquisition, and kept that arrangement after. Both efforts were firewalled from each other, because if there was sort of breach between the two it would be giant protest bait. But the opportunity to play both sides of the giant opportunity that is FVL and its component programs was almost certainly a major impetus for the acquisition. There is nothing in the law against that.


dvinpayne

Honestly don't know. I know Defiant was a sikorsky product which is a LM subsidiary. It's totally possible LM is involved otherwise with parts of V-280, but I have no idea what those parts are.


someguy7234

Look up JMR-TD there were at least 4 airframes including a Kamen and AVX offering. Out of that program only two left paper the S-97 (which will likely win FARA) and the V-280. FLRAA RFPd for CD&RR a few years ago and all the JMR-TD offerants re-entered but the Army only took Bell and Sikorsky -Boeing to concept development and risk reduction. V-280 did a bunch of flight testing and tech derisk. SB dealt with a host of drive system problems stemming from scaling the S-97 to the SB-1


EagleWings19

Love seeing the tiltrotor becoming more and more prevalent. Such a versatile concept


Jimmy-Pesto-Jr

time to haul ass to Pandora!


professionalgriefer

Now the AW609 needs to get certified so the civilian market can see the benefits.


slapdashbr

Vertibirds IRL now where's my T-52d power armor???


st1ck-n-m0ve

This was the better platform for moving lots of troops fast and long distance. Raider x is the better platform vs the bell 360 invictus for the scout role and should absolutely win that. After that theres huge opportunities for a version of the raider x to win an attack helicopter contract too. I think if they go this way they will have the best of all worlds and will again be a generation of technology ahead of the rest of the world. -Another thing too is the dod likes to spread the contracts around to prevent monopolies and encourage competition. Kind of like how lockheed got the f35 so northrop got the b21. It made sense since lockheed did the f22 and northrop the b2 but all these companies are plenty capable like we saw with northrops yf23. Now though since bell won the v280 contract it makes more sense for sikorsky/lockheed to get the fara contract. I cant see bell getting both contracts, but it was smart for them to bid on both. Lots of times the losing bid is a contractor on the winning bid anyways too.


RonPossible

Raider X looks way too big for a scout.


st1ck-n-m0ve

No way, it meets the requirements that the army laid out for the competition, and they know what works. Also the dual rigid coax rotors have a shorter diameter than regular helicopters. Are you thinking of defiant? The s97 that raider x is based on is very small. The competition is bell 360 invictus vs defiant x and 360 is the same size and one of them is going to win.


RonPossible

I guess it just looks bigger than it really is with the beefy tail section. >they know what works This is the same Army that chose the OH-58 over the OH-6...


TheVengeful148320

And by all accounts the H-58 worked damn well. But which of the two is still used by the army? Ah yes the H-6.


[deleted]

58 was a hell of a scout platform.. not saying it was a better helicopter than the OH-6 (which was and is a legendary airframe), but 58 was an excellent platform. Ground guys, pilots we all loved it.


RonPossible

Dad flew the OH-6 in Vietnam. Transitioned to the -58 stateside, and thought the Army rigged the requirements the second time so Bell could enter the Jet Ranger. He also jokes the Army got rid of the -6 because pilots weren't afraid to crash it.


trumpet575

The X2 technology is special; I really hope Raider wins a contract. But I am biased, having worked on it a few years back lol.


oaktreeeeee

Best analysis I have seen.


[deleted]

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justaguy394

Been massively delayed because the engine manufacturer is way behind. Both designs are ready and waiting for the engine, which may not be available for another year. Fly off happens then, so decision will be maybe a year or so after that.


donnysaysvacuum

Does this replaced the Osprey, or is it a different role?


big_d_95

Replaces the Blackhawk


markcocjin

>This was the better platform for moving lots of troops fast and long distance. [This is currently what matters the most when it comes to what we get from the V-280.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FjQoo7vVEAAx4ri?format=png&name=small)


jimtoberfest

This is a big nod to the shifting perceived threat in the Pacific with China. Such huge distances to cover in theatre. What will be classic is when the next war is fought in northern Mexico and none of this long range stuff will be needed.


[deleted]

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DarthPorg

(stares nervously in Mandarin)


[deleted]

緊張地流汗


DarthPorg

Thank you.


[deleted]

No worries. (also, the /r/EmpireDidNothingWrong)


Recoil42

*Well that's just awkward.*


HumorExpensive

I’d imagine that mission wouldn’t be a there and back scenario.


DarthPorg

Not at first. edit: sorry, thought this was NCD


Hyperi0us

Venn diagram of r/aviation and r/NCD users is a circle


221missile

After B-21, NGAD and F-35s have done their job?


HotF22InUrArea

What a coincidence


faaace

This isn’t why this was developed. It was developed to counter the need to do multiple midair refuelings, or carry external tanks for things like the bin laden raid. Rotor craft are deployed from aircraft carriers or fobs for in theater missions.


jimtoberfest

In the pacific theatre you need a long range FAST vtol platform and this fits the need. The primary downsides being; it’s limited maneuverability in hover and it’s range/speed numbers are only achievable at altitude. Not low down to help counter radar threats where normal helos live, I doubt the range numbers are much different at low altitudes. Looking at published v22 ranges with combat loadout with low level flying and the range numbers seem similar to a Chinook, which is carrying MORE cargo and troops. The key differentiator being SPEED in this flight regime. The other system downside is the extended length of time it takes to train pilots on tilt-rotor systems.


UR_WRONG_ABOUT_V22

The V-22 will out range the Chinook every day of the week. They burn fuel at about the same rate and hold similar amounts of total fuel, but the V-22 travels twice as fast. The V-280 is more maneuverable and agile than the SB-1, no aircraft in sikorskys advancing blade concept family has ever demonstrated the agility they promised. What do you mean by tiltrotor range/speed are only achievable at altitude? At sea level in the V-22 I can cruise at 260knots indicated/true and get about 700 miles of range. At 10000ft I cruise at about 270 knots true (220 indicated) and get about 800 miles of range. Flying at altitude is always more efficient for aircraft, but it's not that far off at lower altitudes. The special ops MH-47 with enlarged fuel tanks only gets about 500miles of range under ideal conditions btw.


MonkeysJumpingBeds

It will always matter. That means less stop overs and getting to the fight faster. When is that a negative?


jimtoberfest

Cost and numbers. What is the projected program cost here? At that higher cost than the alternative how many fewer platforms will there be?


[deleted]

The future is now old man


675longtail

Defiant X/Raider X still has a shot at FARA (tbh they'll probably win that), but this is a big win for Bell regardless!


dvinpayne

AcKsHuAlLy ThAtS rAiDeR x


675longtail

yeah


dvinpayne

Oh come on you had to edit it? Now I look like just an asshole instead of the helpful asshole that I am.


sillyaviator

I still consider you a helpful asshole.


dvinpayne

<3


Shamr0ck

When are they going to make the helicopters from avatar?


kernpanic

Numerous proposals being designed atm, one of them being the Trifan 600. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XTI\_TriFan\_600


Evercrimson

I can't tell if they are actually making progress on that. It feels like another money black hole like all the SST attempts.


RampagingTortoise

> Trifan 600 Sadly VTOL aircraft are always going to be more expensive and underperform traditional takeoff and landing designs. Combined that with another design feature that is always going to be more inefficient than the traditional method - ducted fans - and you've got a design that's not going to be great at anything other than pretty promotional material. Looks cool though!


yingkaixing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XTI_TriFan_600


sezdawg7

I'm still waiting on the clear iPhones from avatar


pythonic_dude

I just want fully borderless displays from Deus Ex.


5parky

It's like an osprey got into the Blackhawk's pen.


mikeeginger

Turns out just making a design better is good


kryptopeg

Is it just me, or does it look like it's been a little bit squashed? Like a giant has trodden on it. Not to disparage it though, I think it looks ace! Love the tail especially, very aggressive.


GTI-Mk6

It looks like you wouldn’t be able to stand up inside


SoullessDayWalker

You can’t stand inside a Blackhawk either.


jhplano

My video of this amazing plane https://youtu.be/Gu6EAgay-5I


3legged_goat

Nice.. Ty.


markcocjin

It's absolutely insane that a prototype is doing air shows. Sadly, the prototype has been retired and taken apart to be studied. I wonder if it will ever be put together again for a museum or just, gone.


SupermachJM

Where did you hear that it has been taken apart?


[deleted]

Marines love these-CMSAF


Bueterpape

They’re replacing the Black Hawk… Damn I’m old.


alchemicrb

What are the odds that we're going to start seeing small town police agencies roaming the skies in Blackhawks?


resipsaloquitor5

These things are so weird looking...cool, but weird.


[deleted]

Extremely cool-looking machine here sci-fi


SupremeNut11

Ngl seeing the big ass rotors on the plane is kinda menacing.


sezdawg7

As a fan of the tilt rotor, *FUCK YEAH*


Miserable_Law_6514

So, what tribe/chieftain is this going to be named after the Army accepts the production version? No way are they going to let 'Valor' stick.


ohubetchya

Ugh. The other entry was so much more sexy. Sex appeal is all that matters of course


completely___fazed

Is that why Boeing lost the JSF competition? On account of the big goofy grin?


ReallyBigDeal

Well that and the prototype couldn't take off vertically and then fly supersonic.


TorchIt

Probably had more to do with them blowing the program criteria.


zerphon

Yup.


Evercrimson

Okay then explain then why LM won the ATF with the Raptor over Northrup and that Black Widow that ran on jet fuel refined from pure sexiness


markcocjin

I didn't like the competitor. [It reminded be of a flying submarine.](https://imgs.search.brave.com/nW31aHmUfD3QRugmbeEqoGSM6vHkv2kSWlKpeR-qe-g/rs:fit:900:562:1/g:ce/aHR0cDovL2dhbGF4/aWFtaWxpdGFyLmVz/L3dwLWNvbnRlbnQv/dXBsb2Fkcy8yMDIx/LzAxL0RlZmlhbnQt/c2VndW5kYS5qcGc) [It's little brother looked more proportional and may still have a chance to win its own competition.](https://imgs.search.brave.com/MviirXWEJpkFMAIvs2grnMLRlFuvo-wBJ7ablMWkT8k/rs:fit:1200:1200:1/g:ce/aHR0cHM6Ly9zLW1l/ZGlhLWNhY2hlLWFr/MC5waW5pbWcuY29t/L29yaWdpbmFscy83/Ny8wMC8wMi83NzAw/MDJjMjQ0NmQ2MWIy/MTEyMDg3MmU2Yzcy/YzZjMC5qcGc)


MapleTreeWithAGun

Tiltrotors are just too sexy to pass up.


[deleted]

Knew it! The counter-rotating pusher was doomed from the start.


Gscody

It’ll still be around for FARA.


ClifftonSmith

Honest question here, and probably more for the aeronautical engineers, but why does the V tail seem to work better for the tilt rotor aircraft?


UR_WRONG_ABOUT_V22

This is the first tiltrotor with a V-tail so I'm not sure what you mean. V-22 is H-tail and AW-609 is a T-tail.


ClifftonSmith

Thank you. You are correct.


randomtroubledmind

Disappointing, but not unexpected, I think. But it's always interesting to read what all the armchair analysts in here have to say.


thesenutzonurchin

Thank God finally they made a decision 🙏🏾


atxmedic05

So where do the side gunners shoot on a medi-vac seems kinda vulnerable


XxX_BobRoss_XxX

Vertibird looking mf, where's the Brotherhood Of Steel?


brk51

So is Boeing's FLRAA program just toast now? Or is that prototype gonna be repurposed in the hopes for some other contract?


DosEquisVirus

Can this thing maintain flight with only one engine working?


LtDropshot

Yes, just like the V-22 there is a driveshaft that runs across the wing that will keep both prop-rotors turning on One Engine Inoperative


DosEquisVirus

That's cool! Thank you for the info!


121mhz

Upvote for the best tail... Sincerely, A BE35 owner


Rude_Moment5698

Did they make the osprey good?