The Bell V-280 Valor. (Bell Flight)
RTX’s Collins Aerospace announced Monday it has secured multiple contracts from Bell to provide five key systems for the Army’s new MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).
Collins said it has been selected to provide the main power generation capability and the interconnect drive system for FLRAA as well as its SmartProbe air data system, the cockpit seats and the tiltrotor platform’s ice protection system.
“The Army’s new generation of rotorcraft needs to fly farther and faster, and we’re committed to helping Bell accelerate delivery of that advanced performance with Collins’ military-grade commercial technology,” Troy Brunk, president of Collins Aerospace, said in a statement. “We have ready-now manufacturing and service capabilities around the globe to ensure the Army can urgently deliver, modernize and sustain the MV-75 FLRAA for the next 50 years.”
Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft was named the winner of the FLRAA competition in December 2022, which aimed to find a platform that could eventually replace a sizeable portion of the Black Hawk fleet. The Army awarded the company a deal worth up to $1.3 billion that could total $7 billion if all options are picked up.
The Army has detailed a push for an accelerated FLRAA timeline, aiming to make an early production decision in fiscal year 2028, a year earlier than originally scheduled, and outlining plans to deliver the first aircraft to the 101st Airborne Division by late 2028 or early 2029.
“We are happy to work with Collins Aerospace and add their expertise to Team FLRAA,” Ryan Ehinger, Bell’s senior vice president and FLRAA program director, said in a statement. “Together, we are committed to delivering a high-performing, reliable aircraft that will provide the U.S. Army with the critical capability it needs for the future fight.”
A total value for Bell’s five awards to Collins Aerospace for the FLRAA work has not yet been disclosed, while Collins said it will provide “several of these systems via commercial acquisition authorities.”
Bell’s additional partners on the MV-75 FLRAA include Rolls-Royce providing its AE 1107F engines, GE Aerospace delivering the avionics and “digital backbone” for the aircraft and Honeywell contributing the auxiliary power unit and cooling solution.
The FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act backed the Army’s FLRAA acceleration push, while directing the service to provide an implementation plan and timeline, to include details on the status of industrial base to support early production and the estimated long-term cost savings.
A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.