Six months into flight testing its V-280 Valor, Bell Helicopter is focused on expanding the flight envelope of the new-design tiltrotor and achieving key performance parameters (KPP) the U.S. Army wants in a future Black Hawk replacement. The manufacturer also is inserting new piloting technology in the demonstration effort. Bell plans to add 360-deg. pilot's vision capability to the Valor prototype this year and also will test autonomous operation of the tiltrotor in a systems integration laboratory (SIL). Unmanned capability is an "expressed customer desire," Bell says.
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