Bell helicopter to exhibit future of warfighting at Army Aviation Summit

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, announced its show plans for the 2017 Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit in Nashville, Tenn., April 26-28, 2017. The company will display its full-size mockup of the Bell V-280 Valor next generation aircraft, as well as the newly introduced Bell V-247 Vigilant tiltrotor model.

"The Army Aviation Summit provides a great venue for engaging with our current and future customers, as well as displaying our products that bring game-changing capabilities to the warfighter," said Vince Tobin, Bell Helicopter's vice president of Advanced Tiltrotor Systems. "The disruptive technology of tiltrotor flight delivers unmatched efficiency and range unavailable with traditional rotorcraft. We look forward to the discussions and engagements with our military customers on how this aircraft will enable multi-domain battle."

Throughout the show, Bell Helicopter will present next-level technology, including an immersive virtual reality experience of the Bell V-280 that will highlight mission capabilities of the aircraft, and an opportunity to fly the V-280 simulator setup in the booth – showcasing the future of vertical lift. In addition, the V-280 mockup will be shown in both attack and utility configurations, demonstrating the aircraft's versatility.

The V-280 tiltrotor has been designed to provide unmatched speed, range and payload, along with unmatched agility at the objective. The aircraft will provide the best value in operations and maintenance costs, and is being designed with sustainability, affordability, and ease of manufacturing in mind.

The Bell V-247 tiltrotor is a Group 5 unmanned aerial system (UAS) that will combine the vertical lift capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. The revolutionary UAS is designed to provide unmatched long-endurance persistent expeditionary and surveillance capability and lethal reach, as well as runway independence to operate successfully in maritime environments and locations without secure runway availability.