Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft - photo and video

**Jon** · Jan 3, 2020, 07:13 PM

The Bell V-280 Valor is a tiltrotor aircraft being developed by Bell and Lockheed Martin for the US Army. The V-280 made its maiden flight on December 18, 2017.

3:09 video:

Previously:

Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey unfolding - GIF and photos
airplane short takeoff/landing records
Narushevich Ring Wing - video
Pivoting wing NASA airplane - GIF and video

**metric_taper** · Jan 4, 2020, 11:15 PM

I wonder why they are blurring out the front of the engine nacelle in the video of the hovering machine.
I worked on the avionics for the commercial version of this originally BA609, then BB609, now AW609. That machine is too expensive, and I believe will never see commercial success. The intended market is search rescue way out at sea, and remote ocean oil rigs.
The hovering appears to have considerable flight control instability on this military version.
I'm not impressed, and the complexity of engine drive shaft cross coupling and transmissions adds to all this.
It's one of those, yes we can design it, and make it fly, but too complex to make safe and affordable. That's my opinion.
Here is the link to the commercial version, 1996 it started, and not completed yet. It's gone through several airframe vendors, that I think saw the light that it would not be viable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AgustaWestland_AW609

**Rattlerjake** · Jan 4, 2020, 11:35 PM

It's nothing but an "Osprey" with a Blackhawk fuselage!

**jdurand** · Jan 4, 2020, 11:59 PM

In one part the blurring moves a bit, looks like the engine cowling got crunched. Couldn't have that showing on the video!

**metric_taper** · Jan 5, 2020, 06:41 AM

Originally Posted by Rattlerjake

It's nothing but an "Osprey" with a Blackhawk fuselage!

Understand, it's just a morphed version, but still a death machine;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accide...he_V-22_Osprey

**metric_taper** · Jan 5, 2020, 06:49 AM

Originally Posted by jdurand

In one part the blurring moves a bit, looks like the engine cowling got crunched. Couldn't have that showing on the video!

They are obfuscating something on purpose, probably a method of keeping the engine inlet airflow laminar, something like that to prevent engine stall combustion failure.
And there never was any video of the airframe operating with the engines in tilted forward.
I have many issues, one being it appears to still be unstable, and there really was no airframe improvements of the original version, it looks lighter weight, maybe.