Move over, Black Hawk: Army unveils the MV-75, tiltrotor aircraft to replace iconic assault chopper

The U.S. Army is preparing to retire its iconic Black Hawk helicopters — the workhorses of its air assault fleet for nearly five decades — in favor of a faster, more versatile aircraft built for the challenges of 21st-century warfare.
Bell Aircraft's V-280 Valor, a cutting-edge tiltrotor aircraft, has been selected to begin phasing out the Black Hawk by the 2030s. Once fully deployed, it will be designated the MV-75, though a common nickname has yet to emerge. The Valor combines the vertical lift capabilities of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing airplane, cruising at 320 mph — nearly double the Black Hawk's top speed of 175 mph.
This hybrid design, enabled by tiltrotor technology, allows the MV-75 to hover, land vertically in tight spaces, and then shift into high-speed horizontal flight. It's tailor-made for operations in the Indo-Pacific region, where U.S. forces must be able to travel long distances over the ocean and conduct rapid insertions into constrained environments, such as jungle clearings or island terrain without runways.
Fox News Digital recently took a tour of Bell's Advanced Vertical Lift Center in Crystal City, Virginia.
Billions Spent, Warfighters Wait: Inside The Pentagon's Broken Buying System And The Plan To Fix It
"The Army recognized that the battlefield has changed," Rob Freeland, Bell's director of government relations and public affairs, said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "The enemy now has long-range fires, advanced sensors, and robust networks. You have to move faster and strike before they do."
Read On The Fox News App
Speed and range are at the heart of this transformation. As Freeland put it: "If you can move at twice the speed and range of your adversary, you can change the outcome before they can react."
The MV-75 is designed to carry up to 14 troops and haul payloads of 10,000 pounds, making it ideal for rapid troop deployments, heavy resupply and surprise assault missions. It will also feature autonomous and semi-autonomous capabilities, a leap forward in reducing pilot workload and enabling future unmanned operations.
The V-280 Valor beat out a proposed joint Sikorsky-Boeing compound helicopter platform dubbed the SB-1 Defiant-X in 2019 for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program.
The Army has contracted Texas-based aerospace company Bell to build six prototypes, conduct the first test flight by 2026 and begin full-scale production by 2028, with delivery targeted for 2030. However, leadership has expressed interest in accelerating that schedule under the Army Transformation Initiative.
"We're not waiting for a distant out-year to make this thing real," said Gen. James Mingus, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, speaking at the Mission Solutions Summit earlier this month. "We are driving to get this aircraft online years ahead of schedule."
Hegseth Orders Sweeping Army Overhaul And Consolidation Aimed At Countering China And Golden Dome Capabilities
The "MV" designation reflects the aircraft's multi-mission and vertical takeoff capabilities. It's built for a broad range of missions, including air assault, maritime interdiction, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), combat search and rescue, and tactical resupply.
The first unit to receive the MV-75 will be the 101st Airborne Division, the Army's elite air assault force.
One of the Army's priorities in selecting a replacement was reliability. After years of dealing with aging helicopters requiring frequent maintenance, the Army is demanding aircraft that can stay in the fight with minimal downtime.
"Because it's inherently reliable, you don't need a mountain of gear next to you just to keep the aircraft flying," said Freeland.
The MV-75 program is part of a broader Pentagon push to modernize U.S. military capabilities in an era defined by strategic competition with China.
Since entering service in the late 1970s, the UH-60 Black Hawk has been the backbone of Army aviation. It has flown in nearly every major U.S. military operation over the past 40 years, from evacuating wounded troops in Grenada and Panama, to supporting combat and logistics missions in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Black Hawk was infamously involved in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, and became a household name through its depiction in the 1999 book and 2001 movie "Black Hawk Down." Its versatility, durability and ability to perform under fire made it a symbol of American air power — but after decades of use, its replacement will need to adapt to the evolving battlefield.Original article source: Move over, Black Hawk: Army unveils the MV-75, tiltrotor aircraft to replace iconic assault chopper

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

30,000-pound bunker busters used for first time in Iran nuclear facility strikes

The U.S. used more than a dozen multi-million-dollar, 30,000-pound "bunker busters" to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities in a June 21 stealth strike, marking the weapon's first operational use, according to the Pentagon. In what the Trump administration dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer," U.S. bomber planes dropped 14 of the massive bombs on three of Iran's nuclear facilities, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine told reporters on June 22. The bombs used in the strikes, called Massive Ordnance Penetrators, or MOPs, weigh 30,000 pounds each and cost millions to produce. MOPs, also known as the Guided Bomb Unit, or GBU-57, are GPS-guided weapons designed to burrow deep into underground targets, like fortified tunnels or bunkers. The bombs are around 20 feet long and span six feet at their widest point. The three nuclear sites – Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan – sustained "extremely severe damage and destruction," according to initial assessments, Caine said. While Israel has bunker-busters a fraction of its weight, only the MOP has the capability to destroy or severely damage Iran's nuclear facilities, experts previously told USA TODAY. It's unclear exactly how much the MOP costs, but defense contracts to produce them have been worth tens of millions. The Department of Defense in 2019 handed Boeing $70 million to work on the weapons at its St. Louis facility. The company won updated contracts for MOP production worth more than $77 million in 2021. The B-2 bomber is the only aircraft capable of carrying the massive MOPs – each bomber can hold a pair of the bombs. Seven B-2 bombers flew the 14 bombs to Iran from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, but more than 125 aircraft were involved in the mission, according to Caine. "This was the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history and the second longest B-2 mission ever flown," Caine said. The Air Force ran five successful test drops of the bombs at New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range in 2012 – three with live warheads, and two with inert warheads. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iran nuclear strikes were first use of 30,000-pound bunker busters

USA Today

2 hours ago

• USA Today

30,000-pound bunker busters used for first time in Iran nuclear facility strikes

"Operation Midnight Hammer," the U.S. strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities, used more than a dozen 30,000-pound "bunker busters." The U.S. used more than a dozen multi-million-dollar, 30,000-pound "bunker busters" to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities in a June 21 stealth strike, marking the weapon's first operational use, according to the Pentagon. In what the Trump administration dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer," U.S. bomber planes dropped 14 of the massive bombs on three of Iran's nuclear facilities, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine told reporters on June 22. The bombs used in the strikes, called Massive Ordnance Penetrators, or MOPs, weigh 30,000 pounds each and cost millions to produce. MOPs, also known as the Guided Bomb Unit, or GBU-57, are GPS-guided weapons designed to burrow deep into underground targets, like fortified tunnels or bunkers. The bombs are around 20 feet long and span six feet at their widest point. The three nuclear sites – Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan – sustained "extremely severe damage and destruction," according to initial assessments, Caine said. While Israel has bunker-busters a fraction of its weight, only the MOP has the capability to destroy or severely damage Iran's nuclear facilities, experts previously told USA TODAY. Boeing won $70 million contracts for bunker busters It's unclear exactly how much the MOP costs, but defense contracts to produce them have been worth tens of millions. The Department of Defense in 2019 handed Boeing $70 million to work on the weapons at its St. Louis facility. The company won updated contracts for MOP production worth more than $77 million in 2021. 'Largest' B-2 strike in history The B-2 bomber is the only aircraft capable of carrying the massive MOPs – each bomber can hold a pair of the bombs. Seven B-2 bombers flew the 14 bombs to Iran from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, but more than 125 aircraft were involved in the mission, according to Caine. "This was the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history and the second longest B-2 mission ever flown," Caine said. The Air Force ran five successful test drops of the bombs at New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range in 2012 – three with live warheads, and two with inert warheads.

Yahoo

3 hours ago

• Yahoo

Fort Hood Is Back, Thanks To Secretary Hegseth

In a surprise announcement, the U.S. Army revealed that Fort Cavazos will once again be called Fort Hood — this time honoring a different Hood entirely. The news broke on June 16 via a series of social media posts from the official U.S. Army Fort Hood X account. The announcement detailed that official orders for the name change have been received and are now being implemented, with an official renaming ceremony scheduled for a later date. 'The installation is currently updating the online presence, including Facebook and the website, and will update physical signage and materials at a later date,' the post continued. Col. Robert B. Hood was recognized for his valor near Thiaucourt, France, where he coordinated artillery fire while under heavy machine-gun fire and shelling. When his crew was lost, Hood reorganized the unit under fire and restored combat readiness within minutes. The Army directed further questions to its Public Affairs Media Press Desk and shared a link to its official announcement, which includes redesignation plans for six other installations. 'The U.S. Army will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu,' the Army press release stated. In addition to Fort Hood, installations that will be renamed include Fort Pickett (formerly Fort Barfoot), Fort Gordon (formerly Fort Eisenhower), and Fort Rucker (formerly Fort Novosel), among others. The name 'Fort Hood' was originally associated with Confederate General John Bell Hood. In 2021, a Democrat-led Congress mandated the removal of Confederate names from U.S. military bases. Fort Hood was subsequently renamed Fort Cavazos in 2023 after Gen. Richard Cavazos, the Army's first Hispanic four-star general. However, political tides shifted following the appointment of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Earlier this year, Hegseth used a similar legal workaround to restore Fort Bragg's name, re-dedicating it to WWII hero Pvt. Roland L. Bragg. The Dallas Express previously reported that similar methods could be used to restore the Fort Hood name without violating federal law. A search of military honors databases revealed several non-Confederate Hoods with distinguished service records, including Col. Robert B. Hood. The move appears to satisfy supporters of traditional military base names while complying with legal mandates to avoid Confederate associations. The Army presser emphasized that the redesignations are being made in line with Section 1749(a) of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.