Bell V-280 Valor

[F-14D]

I agree with the point that Boeing is covering their bets, and recall that Lockheed has signed on with Bell. Given their minimal rotorcraft work recently, I would say Lockheed is in the same position as Boeing; doing the mission equipment that could be transferred to any vehicle vendor.

Yeah. For JHL they were partnered with Karem.

 

[Triton]

Bell V-280 Valor display at AUSA 2013.

Source:
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/new-helicopter-designs-ive-seen-at-the-assoc-of-the-us-army-convention.453458183/

 

[Stargazer]

I must have missed an episode... I didn't realize the Valor was a Bell-Boeing product. Thought it was only Bell...

 

[Triton]

I must have missed an episode... I didn't realize the Valor was a Bell-Boeing product. Thought it was only Bell...

No, it isn't a Bell-Boeing product. I didn't rename the original picture files that I gleaned from the Internet to correct the error. Bell has partnered with Lockheed Martin for the V-280 Valor. I apologize for any confusion this has caused. I wasn't paying attention to the file names when I posted them.

 

[F-14D]

I must have missed an episode... I didn't realize the Valor was a Bell-Boeing product. Thought it was only Bell...

No, it isn't a Bell-Boeing product. I didn't rename the original picture files that I gleaned from the Internet to correct the error. Bell has partnered with Lockheed Martin for the V-280 Valor. I apologize for any confusion this has caused. I wasn't paying attention to the file names when I posted them.

Hey, don't feel bad, everyone knows you know better. After all, the site itself even said, "First up is Bell-Boeing's V-280, this design has been on the internet for a while".

I mean compared to some of the whoppers I've pulled...

 

[Stargazer]

LOL

 

[Triton]

Rotor & Wing magazine cover May 2013.

Source:
http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/topstories/79884.html

 

[Triton]

Full-size mockup of Bell V-280 Valor

Source:
http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/Q4UDtTrL-rE/maxresdefault.jpg

 

[yasotay]

Bell Helicopter sees new aircraft matching Asia pivot

By Andrea Shalal-Esa

FORT WORTH, Texas Thu Dec 19, 2013 3:15pm EST

A full-sized representation of the Bell Helicopter V-280 Valor sits on display at the 2013 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington D.C in this handout photo taken October 21, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Bell Helicopter/Handout

FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) - The tilt-rotor aircraft that Textron Inc's (TXT.N) Bell Helicopter is designing for a U.S. Army competition would help troops travel longer distances as the military shifts focus to the Asia-Pacific region, a company official said.

Bell is trying to capitalize on its experience building the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor plane together with Boeing Co (BA.N) as it designs a lighter, cheaper and less complex aircraft, the V-280 Valor, that could eventually translate into billions of dollars of orders for the winner of the Army competition.

"We're leveraging all those lessons learned and bringing them forward to revolutionize how the Army conducts operations in the future," Keith Flail, a former Army officer and program director for Bell's "Future Vertical Lift" efforts, told Reuters in an interview.

Flail leads more than 100 engineers and other experts who are working on the V-280 at a low-rise office about 15 minutes from the company's larger facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

Bell is on track to fly a demonstrator aircraft in 2017, Flail said. The V-280 will use composite materials, a new straight-edged wing design, and fixed engine nacelles instead of the rotating ones used on the V-22.

"It's really all about affordability," he said last week. "The technology we're looking at here is to reduce weight and to reduce cost and to reduce complexity."

Tilt-rotor aircraft take off and land like a helicopter but fly like a plane.

Bell has teamed up with Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc (SPR.N) for the V-280. It is one of four bidders the Army chose in September to work on a preliminary technology demonstrator for the "Joint Multirole" aircraft that will replace thousands of Boeing Apache and Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters now in use.

The Army plans to choose two firms to build prototypes next June with an eye to first flights in late fiscal 2017.

Boeing teamed up with Sikorsky, a unit of United Technologies Corp (UTX.N), to bid for the new program, using Sikorsky's X2 design. Two smaller firms, AVX Aircraft Co and Karem Aircraft Inc, also won contracts for initial design work.

Bell and Karem are both working on designs based on tilt-rotor aircraft. Such aircraft are particularly well-suited for the vast Asia-Pacific region since they can fly farther and faster using less fuel than a conventional helicopter, Flail said.

Chris Gehler, another former Army officer and head of V-280 business development, said Army officers who had worked with the Marine Corps' V-22s in Afghanistan and Iraq were keen to acquire similar technology, especially given the increasing focus on regions like Asia and even Africa.

"The sweet spot for speed, range and payload, that's really where the tilt-rotor outshines the other technology, and that's particularly important when the Army and the Department of Defense are talking about a pivot in strategy to the Pacific region," Gehler said.

He said Army officials were interested in new aircraft that could travel at higher speeds than current helicopters, which could help Bell's tilt-rotor bid.

Virginia-based defense consultant Jim McAleese said the V-280 program was critical for Bell, since production of the V-22, its largest military program, has peaked, and the Army has canceled plans to upgrade its 1960s-era OH-58 Kiowa Warriors, work that would have been done by Bell.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Alwyn Scott and Jonathan Oatis)

 

[Triton]

Which means that the Bell V-280 Valor is capable of flying over the East China Sea to the disputed Senkaku Islands or capable of flying over the South China Sea to the disputed Spratly Islands from land bases.

 

[fightingirish]

Bell concept for attack variant of V-280 Valor tiltrotor for USArmy Joint Multi Role/Future Vertical Lift programm


Source: Graham Warwick ‏@TheWoracle Twitter Feed

 

[Triton]

"New Tech Brings Marketing Challenges To Bell"
By Amy Butler
October 23, 2013

Source:
http://aviationweek.com/awin/new-tech-brings-marketing-challenges-bell

Bell Helicopter is taking its campaign to sell the V280 Valor tiltrotor concept straight to potential U.S. Army operators with a “productivity-per-hour” appeal rather than the standard “cost-per-flying-hour” argument.

“Our starting point is to go to the end user,” said Bell CEO John Garrison during a roundtable breakfast with reporters Oct. 22. The Valor offers “a very different value proposition. It is a very different mindset.”

This approach also is likely to be pursued by Karem Aircraft, also offering a tiltrotor in the Army Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstration (JMR-TD) program. Through the JMR-TD, the Army eventually will downselect to two contenders that will proceed into the Future Vertical Lift – Medium competition to replace up to 4,000 Sikorsky UH-60s and Boeing AH-64s in the fleet today.

At issue is a tension between the traditional Army method for acquiring aviation systems, which measures value by cost to produce the units and cost per flying hour for operations.

The tiltrotor proposition, however, is to convince the Army to widen its view of the cost of the system to reflect the advantages of its speed and range. The Army currently uses eight main bases in Afghanistan for aviation assets; the range and speed offered by the Valor could allow the service to shrink that footprint to two forward operating bases for support of the entire country, Garrison says. This would reduce the number of soldiers needed for such support functions as security, lowering the practical operating cost of the aircraft.

The V280 also would be self-deployable with its 2,100-nm range using enhanced fuel carriage onboard, reducing the amount of airlift needed to support a deployment, Garrison adds.

This campaign could face similar challenges as those faced by the Global Hawk in winning a Navy competition for a future P-3 replacement, and in EADS’ lost bid to capture the U.S. Air Force aerial refueler competition. In both cases, the value for the aircraft was placed by the contractor on effectiveness, not on unit or a traditional accounting of operating cost.

In the case of Valor, Garrison acknowledges that the value is not only calculable in the cost of the system itself, but in estimating the cost avoidance of other systems, such as the reduced need for support, on the overall Army budget.

Bell, Karem Aircraft, Sikorsky/Boeing and AVX have each won JMR-TD contracts. The Army plans to downselect to two for flight demonstrations in 2017.

 

[Triton]

From December 2013:

Bell V-280 Valor mockup at AUSA 2013.

http://youtu.be/BFlFdknWW8M

 

[yasotay]

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2014-08-03/bell-applying-525-technology-v-280

No surprise that Bell is using 525 work for V-280. As I have stated elsewhere I think this will happen more as the civil market now has the agility to develop new ideas that take decades within government venues. The challenge with this is that while the electronics can make the transition between civil and military with a fair amount of ease, I for one am not sure about airframe and dynamics as they have to be designed to take bullet impacts on military rotorcraft.

I would also note that the Bell Program Director talked more about affordability than he did about tactical goodness.

 

[Triton]

Flail said that the V-280’s extensive use of composites will reduce weight while helping performance and maintainability. The new design of the engine and gearbox rotor and prop-rotor interface will also help the V-280 in this regard. On the V-22, the engines, gearboxes and prop-rotors all have to rotate as thrust direction is changed; on the V-280 only the gearboxes and prop-rotors rotate. The V-280 also eschews the forward wing sweep of the V-22. Going to a straight wing on the V-280 eliminates the need for a mid-wing gearbox and makes the wing easier to manufacture. “We spent a lot of time focusing on the maintainability and modularity of the V-280’s components,” Flail said.

While the potential spoils of the eventual winner of the JMR-TD could be as many as 4,000 aircraft under the Future Vertical Lift program, right now much of the technology required on the aircraft, as well as the operational requirements, remains to be defined, and program competitors are fielding their best guesses as to what form it will eventually take. For example, the Army eventually wants FVL aircraft to be fitted with future advanced turbine engines that will post a 35-percent reduction in specific fuel consumption, an 80-percent improvement in power-to-weight ratio, a 20-percent improvement in design life (to more than 6,000 hours) and a 45-percent reduction in production/maintenance costs. The technologies for those engines remain under development and are not scheduled to be demonstrated until 2016. Those engines would not fly on Phase One JMR-TD aircraft in 2017, but could fly on Phase Two or “Model Performance Specification” aircraft in 2019.

Source:
http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2014-08-03/bell-applying-525-technology-v-280

 

[Triton]

Is there great technical risk associated with the Advanced Concept Engine (ACE) intended to power FVL-Medium?

 

[Triton]

I would also note that the Bell Program Director talked more about affordability than he did about tactical goodness.

"Affordable" and "affordability" seem to be popular buzz words, but what do they really mean?

 

[AeroFranz]

The V-280 also eschews the forward wing sweep of the V-22. []

For example, the Army eventually wants FVL aircraft to be fitted with future advanced turbine engines that will post a 35-percent reduction in specific fuel consumption, an 80-percent improvement in power-to-weight ratio, a 20-percent improvement in design life (to more than 6,000 hours) and a 45-percent reduction in production/maintenance costs. The technologies for those engines remain under development and are not scheduled to be demonstrated until 2016. Those engines would not fly on Phase One JMR-TD aircraft in 2017, but could fly on Phase Two or “Model Performance Specification” aircraft in 2019.

I thought wing sweep was required on the V-22 to allow the blades to flap. I wonder what allows them to dispense with the feature.
Once again, the bulk of the improvements in performance come from a new generation of engines. If you look at the planned next generations of airliners, it's the same thing. Aerodynamics might give you a few percent decrease in fuel burn and the remaining 10-15% comes from better turbines.

 

[TomS]

I think it's just that the tilt-engine layout puts the rotors a bit further from the wing than the Osprey. In the V-280, the whole engine is forward of the pivot point, which is also near the wing leading edge, unlike the Osprey, where the pivot point is near the middle of the wing.

 

[yasotay]

I think that the wing is strait as an affordability function. I have seen Bell talk about not having to have a gearbox mid-wing now and that they can build a one piece spar for the aircraft. It simplifies the aircraft to some degree (simple = <$). There are I suspect some issues that will be challenging to overcome with torsion on the spar and maybe some vibration.

On the question of the advanced engine. If it is not in production or late development, it is high risk for technology and funding reasons.

 

[F-14D]

I think that the wing is strait as an affordability function. I have seen Bell talk about not having to have a gearbox mid-wing now and that they can build a one piece spar for the aircraft. It simplifies the aircraft to some degree (simple = <$). There are I suspect some issues that will be challenging to overcome with torsion on the spar and maybe some vibration.

On the question of the advanced engine. If it is not in production or late development, it is high risk for technology and funding reasons.

I think AeroFranz and TomS have it. Both the V-22 and the earlier XV-15 had forward swept wings to insure extra clearance between the blades and the wing leading edge when they flex in airplane mode. Not a concern on the V-280.

Note that the AW609 also has a forward swept wing for the same reason.

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of Bell V-280 Valor shipborne variant.

Source:
https://twitter.com/TheWoracle/status/503997118701662210

 

[Triton]

The design of the Bell V-280 Valor appears to have changed.

Source:
http://bellv280.com/gallery

 

[Jemiba]

Indeed, well spotted !
The nose and glazing is different, as well as the nacelles. Interesting, that the already
known CGI were changed, instead of making completely new ones.

 

[TomS]

Nice drawing. I think the angles are off, though. It looks as though the cabin floor should be parallel to the ground.

 

[Jemiba]

Absolutely correct, thanks for that clue, corrected !
Seems to have been another modification compared to the older layout,
as shown here http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,19036.msg198511.html#msg198511.

 

[Moose]

Interesting that they increased the size of the windscreens, Sikorsky cut theirs way down after talking with the Army about their early Raider concept.

 

[yasotay]

Bell CEO has said that there is a lot in common between Valor and Relentless aircraft.

 

[Triton]

"Bell Adds To V-280 Tiltrotor Team For Army JMR Demo"
Graham Warwick | AWIN First
Oct 14, 2014

Source:
http://aviationweek.com/defense/bell-adds-v-280-tiltrotor-team-army-jmr-demo

Bell Helicopter has added the first international partner to its V-280 Valor program to build an advanced medium-utility rotorcraft for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi Role (JMR) technology demonstration.

Israel Aerospace Industries will supply the nacelle structures for the 280 kt.-cruise tiltrotor. Unlike the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, the V-280 has fixed wingtip-mounted engine nacelles with only the proprotors tilting.

Bell has also selected Textron sister company TRU Simulation & Training to build a high-fidelity marketing simulator and desktop maintenance trainer with which to give Army pilots and maintainers exposure to operating the tiltrotor ahead of its first flight in 2017.

"The Army does not have tiltrotors, so when the simulator is complete next spring we can start to get more pilots in and help them understand how to fly a tiltrotor," says Keith Flail, Bell’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program director.

Bell has to show the Army that a high-speed, long-range tiltrotor has the hover performance and low-speed agility needed to replace the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk medium utility helicopter beginning around 2035.

The V-22 has proved a tiltotor is fast, and can decelerate and accelerate quickly to increase survivability into and out of the landing zone. But the Osprey has a higher disk loading and lower hover efficiency than a helicopter.

Compared to the V-22, the 280-kt V-280 Valor JMR will be simpler and lighter, with lower disk loading and longer wing for greater hover and cruise efficiency. But Bell does not have a prototype to showcase before the V-280 flies.

Sikorsky and teammate Boeing have to show the Army that the unique flying characteristics of their 230-kt SB.1 Defiant JMR demonstrator justify the additional complexity of its rigid coaxial-rotor compound helicopter configuration.

But Sikorsky plans to fly its first prototype S-97 Raider armed scout helicopter by year’s end, and will have a second aircraft it plans to use to conduct customer demonstrations to show the military utility of its high-speed configuration.

Bell plans to use the marketing simulator to give Army pilots early experience of the tiltrotor’s acceleration and deceleration characteristics and the V-280’s low-speed agility, Flail says.

The desktop maintenance instruction device, meanwhile, will let Army maintainers accustomed to working on overhead-mounted dynamic systems see how the V-280’s engines, gearboxes and proprotors would be serviced.

"The wingtip nacelle is different to what they are used to, but V-280 is designed so they can get at components without removing the nacelle. They can take the [rotor] mast off and pull the proprotor gearbox off a spline shaft," he says.

Bell and Sikorsky/Boeing have been selected by the Army to fly competing JMR high-speed rotorcraft demonstrators as a precursor to an FVL Medium program, beginning around 2020, to develop a replacement for the Black Hawk.

Essentially full-scale, Flail says, the V-280 demonstrator is to be powered by two 5,000-shp General Electric T64-419 turboshafts. The engines, previously used in the Sikorsky CH-53E, will be overhauled and modified for the demo.

The T64s will enable demonstration of the tiltrotor’s speed, range and hot-and-high hover capability, but GE says Bell plans to use a version of the Army’s Future Affordable Turbine Engine demonstrator in a production V-280.

 

[F-14D]

Interesting that they increased the size of the windscreens, Sikorsky cut theirs way down after talking with the Army about their early Raider concept.

Another significant (to me) change is that on the attack version weapons previously were carried on stub pylons and in the belly . Now the stubs are gone, and weapons are extended from the sides. The area underneath now seems to house either a sensor or some kind of countermeasures.

 

[Triton]

Does anyone else believe that the V-280 nacelle design resembles the USCSS Prometheus?

 

[yasotay]

Interesting that they increased the size of the windscreens, Sikorsky cut theirs way down after talking with the Army about their early Raider concept.

Another significant (to me) change is that on the attack version weapons previously were carried on stub pylons and in the belly . Now the stubs are gone, and weapons are extended from the sides. The area underneath now seems to house either a sensor or some kind of countermeasures.

I also note the lateral launch tubes behind the mid-body missile racks. To big for ASE I think.

All in all some great re-do pictures that show more detail of the program.

 

[F-14D]

Interesting that they increased the size of the windscreens, Sikorsky cut theirs way down after talking with the Army about their early Raider concept.

Another significant (to me) change is that on the attack version weapons previously were carried on stub pylons and in the belly . Now the stubs are gone, and weapons are extended from the sides. The area underneath now seems to house either a sensor or some kind of countermeasures.

I also note the lateral launch tubes behind the mid-body missile racks. To big for ASE I think.

All in all some great re-do pictures that show more detail of the program.

Another thought: On the attack version, with the area behind the cockpit all filled with weapons and countermeasures, I wonder if Bell will propose ejection seats for the crew.

 

[yasotay]

Interesting that they increased the size of the windscreens, Sikorsky cut theirs way down after talking with the Army about their early Raider concept.

Another significant (to me) change is that on the attack version weapons previously were carried on stub pylons and in the belly . Now the stubs are gone, and weapons are extended from the sides. The area underneath now seems to house either a sensor or some kind of countermeasures.

I also note the lateral launch tubes behind the mid-body missile racks. To big for ASE I think.

All in all some great re-do pictures that show more detail of the program.

Another thought: On the attack version, with the area behind the cockpit all filled with weapons and countermeasures, I wonder if Bell will propose ejection seats for the crew.

With the drive for maximum commonality I doubt they are because it likely creates a number of design changes. The design certainly makes the option viable though.

 

[fightingirish]

Bell V-280 Valor display at AUSA 2014.

Bell unveils the V280 Valor Tilt Rotor Aircraft at AUSA 2014
Oct 15, 2014
Bell Helicopter and Sikorsky Aircraft displayed at AUSA 2014 full size models of the future rotary wing platforms they are proposing for the US Army.




The man difference between the V-22 and V280 designs is the absence of engine rotation in teh Valor, where only the rotors are rotated up or down. The nacelles will be built by IAI, which yesterday has joined the industry team building the future tilt-rotor aircraft. Photo: Noam Eshel, Defense-Update
The man difference between the V-22 and V280 designs is the absence of engine rotation in teh Valor, where only the rotors are rotated up or down. The nacelles will be built by IAI, which yesterday has joined the industry team building the future tilt-rotor aircraft. Photo: Noam Eshel, Defense-Update:
Bell unveiled here a full-scale model of its V-280 Valor, the next generation in tiltrotor aircraft the US Army is considering as a future UH-60 Black Hawk replacement for the 2030. Larger than the current UH-60 Black Hawk, but smaller than the V-22 Osprey Bell and Boeing have supplied the Marine Corps and SOCOM, V-280 represents a third-generation tiltrotor aircraft designed for the Joint Multi-Role demonstrator and Future Vertical Lift programs.


Unlike the V-22, where the entire engine and rotor are rotated up for takeoff, landing and hovering, the V-280 is designed with rotating rotors, maintaining the two engines in fixed positions on the win tips.


The V-280 Valor will be able to fly twice the range of current helicopters, cruising at 280 knots it will cover a combat range of 500 to 800 nautical milese, enabling ground forces to control much larger areas of operation. The V-280 will be able to fly 14 troop transport missions, medical evacuation, carry supplies and deliver loads more effectively using two sling loads and large six-foot wide doors.


Bell has gathered a team to build and fly test the Valor demonstrator. The company is in the detailed design phase of the V-280’s development, and the aircraft is expected to be ready for flight testing in September 2017.


Along with the assault transport tilt rotor aircraft offered to the Army, the Valor team is also suggesting an attack variant equipped with internally carried missiles, including side launching common launchers (deploying weapons sideways or to the rear, similar to aircraft gunships, as well as forward launched guided missiles. Photo: Noam Eshel, Defense-Update

Link: http://defense-update.com/20141015_valor.html#.VD9lB_msV8E

 

[Triton]

"Bell reveals engines, nacelle supplier for V-280 tiltrotor"
2014-10-15 09:26:41
by Andrew D. Parker

Source:
http://www.verticalmag.com/news/article/BellrevealsenginesnacellesupplierforV280tiltrotor

During the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting and exposition this week, Bell Helicopter revealed another supplier for the third-generation tiltrotor, and laid out the power plans for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role (JMR) technology demonstrator phase. The T-64-GE-419 engine from General Electric will power the aircraft during the tech demo phase.

JMR is the precursor to Future Vertical Lift (FVL), which is a joint effort across various U.S. military branches to develop a family of replacement aircraft, including for the U.S. Army’s Boeing AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook, Bell OH-58 Kiowa and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.

Technology demonstrations are scheduled for 2017, and will pit a team led by Bell and Lockheed Martin against a joint Boeing-Sikorsky effort based off the X2 and S-97 Raider compound aircraft.

Bell plans to use a version of the Future Affordable Turbine Engine (FATE) for the production V-280. FATE is under U.S. Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) efforts to develop a more efficient helicopter engine as part of the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP). GE will supply the Y64-GE-419 for the demonstration phase, noting that the FATE program is advancing toward testing during 2015.

Bell has also added Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to the group of companies that are part of Team Valor. IAI will provide the nacelle structures for the V-280. Bell continues to bolster Team Valor, which includes Lockheed Martin, AGC AeroComposites, Astronics, Eaton, GKN Aerospace, LORD Corp., Meggitt, Moog and Spirit Aerosystems.

 

[F-14D]

Interesting that they increased the size of the windscreens, Sikorsky cut theirs way down after talking with the Army about their early Raider concept.

Another significant (to me) change is that on the attack version weapons previously were carried on stub pylons and in the belly . Now the stubs are gone, and weapons are extended from the sides. The area underneath now seems to house either a sensor or some kind of countermeasures.

I also note the lateral launch tubes behind the mid-body missile racks. To big for ASE I think.

All in all some great re-do pictures that show more detail of the program.

Another thought: On the attack version, with the area behind the cockpit all filled with weapons and countermeasures, I wonder if Bell will propose ejection seats for the crew.

With the drive for maximum commonality I doubt they are because it likely creates a number of design changes. The design certainly makes the option viable though.

Actually, I'd think there wouldn't have to be that many extra design changes to put in ejection seats. Unlike all other rotorcraft, Tilt Rotors do not have to have complicated systems for getting rid of the blades to facilitate ejection; it's a non-issue, the lift/propulsion components are not affected at all. In fact, the XV-15s and the FSD V-22s had ejection seats.

The V-280s forward compartment is already going to have some modification to accommodate sensors and the gun, and replacing the troop compartment with retractable weapons pallets is a significant change as well. With no one in the back, the bulkhead is going to be modified anyway on an attack version. To accommodate ejection seats, that bulkhead (which likely is nonstructural) may have to be moved back some inches to accommodate the mount and light guide rails for the seat. The canopy would need modification so that the area over each seat would blow off 1/2 sec before the seats came out. There might be some cg issues as ejection seats would be heavier, but they're already going to have to deal with more weight at the front anyway. A number of lightweight ejection seats used in turboprops should work nicely, but the price may be that in a hard landing ejection seats might not have the crashworthiness of the seats they replace unless there is some serious (and potentially expensive in cost and weight) modification to how they're fitted.

That very well be the decider: whether the user would be willing to pay for the extra cost of ejection seats in the attack version.

 

[Triton]

http://www.miltechmag.com/

 

[Triton]

More pictures of the Bell V-280 Valor mock-up on display at AUSA 2014.

Source:
http://www.miltechmag.com/2014/10/ausa-2014-seen-heard-on-day-2.html

 

[Bgray]

How heavily modified is the attack version? The reports don't have a lot of detail on it, save to mention that it could launch weapons to the sides or rear.