A promising MV-75 tiltrotor aircraft is currently being developed for the aviation of the US Army. Currently, this sample is at the stage of testing and refinement, and in parallel, the preparation of future mass production is underway. According to the Pentagon's current plans, the first tiltrotor planes of the new model will enter combat units before the end of the decade and will reach initial operational readiness at the same time.
It should be recalled that the future MV-75 tiltrotor was developed by Bell Textron Inc. and was initially named V-280 and Valor. The project started in the early 1980s and was created for the US Army Joint Multi-Role (JMR) competition. In 2013, it was transferred to the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, and since 2019, the tiltrotor has been a participant in the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition.
In December 2022, the Army announced the results of the FLRAA program. The V-280 project from Bell Textron showed the best ratio of characteristics and capabilities. A contract was signed to continue the development and construction of experimental batches of equipment.
In November 2024, the prototype V-280 received the Army designation YMV-75A. The letters "MV" stood for Multirole Vertical (multi-purpose vertical takeoff vehicle), and the letter "Y" marked a specific prototype. In turn, the number "75" was supposed to remind of 1775, when the US Army was formed.
In mid-May 2025, it became known that the Pentagon had officially approved the designation MV-75. The experimental equipment will continue to be tested under this index, and serial machines will receive it in the future. The alphanumeric designation will now be used in official documents instead of the abbreviation FLRAA.
The original goal of the FLRAA program was to create a multi-purpose aircraft to replace existing UH-60 helicopters. It was assumed that in a few decades the new technology would completely displace its predecessors. However, the plans were later revised.
In mid-May, General James Mingus, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, revealed current plans for FLRAA and MV-75 at a public event. He noted that the new tiltrotor has a unique ratio of characteristics and capabilities, and for this reason is of particular interest to the army.
It is reported that Bell Textron is currently fulfilling a previously received contract for the assembly of pre-production equipment. As part of this shipment, she must transfer six MV-75 products to the army. Next year, these machines will be put into factory testing, after which they will be handed over to the customer.
The Army aviation will begin its own tests of six tiltrotor aircraft in 2027-28. They are going to spend no more than two or three years on these events. According to their results, the equipment will receive an operating permit, and its development in combat units will begin. The first unit on the MV-75 is expected to reach initial operational readiness in 2030.
General J. Mingus said that the 101st Airborne Division would be the first to receive the new equipment. This unit regularly participates in various operations, and it has to operate in different conditions, without the necessary infrastructure, etc. It is expected that the MV-75 tiltrotor planes will increase the mobility of the division and show the required level of reliability for any action.
In the future, new tiltrotor aircraft may enter other formations of the US Army. However, plans of this kind have not yet been clarified. In addition, the Pentagon is not ready to disclose the planned volume and pace of mass production. Perhaps all such plans have not been worked out yet.
Interestingly, the army has revised some of its global plans. Thus, the MV-75 FLRAA is no longer considered as a replacement for the cash UH-60. Tiltrotor planes will not have to displace helicopters. On the contrary, over the next few decades, the two families of technology will serve in parallel and complement each other.
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