U.S to Replace Black Hawks with Faster Tiltrotor Chopper

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

The Bell V-280 Valor is the successor of the United States made utility helicopter's UH - 60 Black Hawk as the U.S military replaced it with a faster and cheaper to maintain tiltrotor chopper.

 The V-280 Valor as published by Time Fold.

 The Philippines Air Force will be owning 47 Poland made S-70i Black Hawk combat utility helicopters. It is poised to become the biggest operator of these aircraft in the world. We currently have 40 helicopters thanks to the most recent supply, and by this yea\there will be 47 Black Hawks in our military inventory.

I heard about the Valor in April 10, 2016 when the U.S Marines brought two V-22 Ospreys (that U.S plane that ascend or descend from the sky like a helicopter but fly like a turbo- prop airplane) at Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

Excerpts of my blog where I was in a huddle with Marine pilots of the two propellers' plane:

ME: Who manufactured the Osprey? Boeing?

CAPT 1: It's Bell and Boeing (consortium). The main frame was built by Bell, while the wings were made by Boeing. The engines were made by (British owned) Rolls Royce.

ME: Was this plane made in the 1970s?

CAPT 1: Naa, this was built in 1985.

ME: Is there any replacement of this plane in the pipeline?

CAPT. 1: Ya, Bell V-280 Valor built a prototype of this. Its size is just like that Black Hawk (helicopter nearby). (Italian-British consortium) Agusta Westland manufactured a version of this plane, too.

Author and his son ZJ pose at the Poland made Sikorsky during one of the Cope Thunders participated by the personnel of the U.S and Philippines air forces at Clark Air Base in Pampanga. 

TIME FOLD WRITES:

The Bell V 280 Valor represents the most significant shift in U.S. Army aviation since the Black Hawk first took flight more than forty years ago. Built for speed, range, and modern battlefields, the Valor has now been selected to replace the UH 60 Black Hawk in the Army’s future assault role. The decision signals a move toward tilt rotor technology, where vertical lift and airplane like forward speed merge into a single aircraft.

The V 280 was developed under the Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program,

designed to ensure the next generation of air mobility could reach distant objectives faster and operate safely in more contested environments. Its tilt rotor system allows it to lift off like a helicopter yet cruise like a fixed wing aircraft, giving commanders the ability to insert troops or evacuate casualties at distances the Black Hawk could never reach without refueling.

Testing showed that the Valor could fly roughly twice as fast as the Black Hawk while carrying

similar payloads. It also offers improved range, advanced flight controls, and reduced

maintenance demands, all critical for long term operations. Although the Black Hawk will remain in service for years as the transition begins, the selection of the V 280 reflects the Army’s recognition that future missions will require greater reach and flexibility.

Units chosen for early adoption will begin training as production and fielding timelines are finalized. The shift will not be immediate, but it marks a new chapter in how the Army plans to move soldiers, respond to crises, and operate across wide theaters where speed can mean survival.

U S Marine pilots in a huddle near their V-22 Osprey during a static display of U.S firepower at Clark Air Base in Pampanga where this author-blogger was invited; Tiltrotor of a U.S Marine's Osprey photographed by the author.

THIS BLOGGER ADDS

The U.S made Black Hawk became famous because of the flick's Black Hawk Down. It was a 2001 war film directed and produced by Ridley Scott, and co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, from a screenplay by Ken Nolan. It is based on the 1999 eponymous non-fiction book by journalist Mark Bowden, about the crew of a Black Hawk helicopter that was shot down during the Battle of Mogadishu.