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The Bell V-280 Valor is a third-generation tilt-rotor concept being developed by Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin〔"(Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin team on V-280 Valor )" ''AirFramer'', September 9th, 2013. Accessed: September 9th, 2013.〕 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, with a projected first flight in 2017. ==Development== On 5 June 2013, Bell announced that the V-280 Valor design had been selected by the US Army for the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator (TD) phase. The JMR-TD phase is the technology demonstration precursor to Future Vertical Lift (FVL). The army classified the offering as a Category I proposal, meaning it is a well-conceived, scientifically or technically sound proposal pertinent to program goals and objectives with applicability to army mission needs, offered by a responsible contractor with the competent scientific and technical staff supporting resources required to achieve results.〔Drwiega, Andrew. "The Generation Game" ''Air International'' January 2014, page 106. Accessed: 17 June 2014.〕 JMR-TD contracts were expected to be awarded in September 2013, with flights scheduled for 2017.〔(Bell V-280 Valor Selected for Army’s JMR-TD Program ) - Bell press release, 5 June 2013〕 On 9 September 2013, Bell announced it would team up with Lockheed Martin to develop the V-280. Lockheed will provide integrated avionics, sensors, and weapons to the aircraft. Additional partners were announced in the following months,〔 including Moog Inc. for the flight control systems,〔"( Moog to design, manufacture flight control system for Bell V-280 Valor )" ''AirFramer''. Accessed: 11 October 2013.〕 GE Aviation for the engines,〔(Bell switches engine supplier for next tiltrotor, chooses GE ) - Flightglobal.com, 16 October 2013〕 GKN for the tail structure,〔(GKN Aerospace to develop V-Tail for Bell V-280 Valor ) - GKN news release, 17 October 2013〕 Spirit AeroSystems for the composite fuselage,〔(Spirit AeroSystems to build V-280 fuselage ) - Flightglobal.com, 21 October 2013〕 Eaton Corporation as the distributor of hydraulics and power generation systems,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Bell Helicopter chooses Eaton hydraulics and power generation system for Bell V-280 Valor )〕 and Astronics Advanced Electric Systems to design and manufacture power distribution systems.〔(Bell Helicopter, Astronics Announce Cooperative Agreement ) - Asdnews.com, 5 May 2014〕 Israel Aerospace Industries, the first international partner recruited for the V-280, will supply the nacelle structures, and Textron sister company TRU Simulation & Training will build a high-fidelity marketing simulator and desktop maintenance trainer.〔(Bell Adds To V-280 Tiltrotor Team For Army JMR Demo ) - Aviationweek.com, 14 October 2014〕 On 2 October 2013, the U.S. Army awarded a technology investment agreement to Bell Helicopters for the V-280 Valor tiltrotor under the Joint Multi-Role program.〔"( Army awards JMR-TD program technology investment agreement with Bell Helicopter for next-generation tiltrotor demonstrator )" ''AirFramer'' 8 October 2013. Accessed: 11 October 2013.〕 Awards were also given to AVX Aircraft, Karem Aircraft, and a Sikorsky-Boeing team. JMR is not to develop a prototype for the next family of vehicles, but to develop technologies and interfaces. The TIAs give the four teams nine months to complete preliminary design of their rotorcraft, which the Army will then review and authorize the construction of two competing demonstrators to fly in 2017. While there is a potential for an early downselect, the four teams are focused on the 2017 flight demonstrations.〔(Karem Unveils Variable-Speed Tiltrotor For U.S. Army JMR Demo ) - Aviationweek.com, 2 October 2013〕〔(Army selects four companies for advanced rotorcraft concepts ) - Flightglobal.com, 3 October 2013〕 Each of the four teams received $6.5 million from the Army for phase I of the program, although Bell is investing an undisclosed amount of its own money.〔(Doubts Swirl around Army’s Next Generation Helicopter Fleet ) - Defensetech.org, 25 October 2013〕 On 21 October 2013, Bell unveiled the first full-scale mock-up of the V-280 Valor at Association of the United States Army 2013.〔(Bell unveils V-280 Valor mock-up ) - Flightglobal.com, 21 October 2013〕 On 11 August 2014, the Army informed the Bell-Lockheed team that they had chosen the V-280 Valor to continue with the JMR demonstration program. The Boeing-Sikorsky team offering the SB-1 Defiant was also chosen.〔(Army Picks Firms to Build Future Helicopter ) - DoDBuzz.com, 12 August 2014〕 Announcement of the selections was officially made on 3 October 2014, and the teams will begin building technology demonstration aircraft for test flights beginning in 2017.〔(U.S. Army Selects Bell and Sikorsky/Boeing to Build Prototypes for Next Generation Helicopter Program ) - News.USNI.org, 3 October 2014〕 Bell unveiled a full-scale mock-up of the V-280 Valor on the floor at AUSA 2014 to showcase the configuration and design of the high-speed platform. It is focused on the infantry squad and is to handle much like a helicopter in terms of low-speed agility to have unprecedented pitch, roll, and yaw response for those operations. Roughly the size of the current medium-lift helicopter, the V-280 is designed to travel twice as fast and twice as far. Bell is pitching these capabilities for movement over vast areas like the Pacific; the program director said the need for forward arming and refueling points could be eliminated and that one FOB (forward operating base) in the middle of a country, such as Afghanistan, could cover the entire country.〔(Bell Touts New Tilt-Rotor High-Speed Helicopter ) - Defensetech.org, 14 October 2014〕 Although Bell sold its share in the AW609 program in 2011, Bell continues to work on the AW609 and considers commercial potential for the V-280, as a military mass production of 2-4,000 aircraft could reduce unit cost to commercially acceptable levels.〔Black, Thomas. "(Bell Helicopter exploring civilian market for new tilt-rotor aircraft )" (Archive1 ) (Archive2 )〕 Lockheed Martin is on track to take over Sikorsky, and this has caused Bell and LM to redefine their relationship. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bell V-280 Valor」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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