Future US Army Tiltrotor Replacing Black Hawk Officially Named ‘MV-75’
The U.S. Army has formally named its next-generation assault aircraft that will replace the Black Hawk.
During an annual Army aviation conference in Tennessee, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus announced that Bell Textron’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) will carry the designation MV-75 once it enters service.
The MV-75 designation honors the year 1775, when the U.S. Army was founded.
Mingus also announced that the MV-75 will first be deployed with the 101st Airborne Division, known as the “Screaming Eagles,” based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Mingus said the 101st was selected due to its rapid deployment role and history of operating in challenging environments.
“This decision makes sense, the 101st is a formation built to deploy rapidly and operate in austere conditions,” he said.
In 2022, the U.S. Army selected Bell Textron’s V-280 Valor as the winner of the FLRAA program, beating Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky and Boeing.
The assault aircraft is designed to fly faster and farther than current helicopters. With a tiltrotor configuration, it can take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane, reaching estimated speeds of 345 mph and ranges up to 575 miles. It can carry 14 troops or 12,000 pounds of cargo.
The Army currently operates about 2,000 Black Hawk helicopters, which have been in service since the 1970s. It has previously stated plans to introduce Bell’s FLRAA by 2030.
