Bell Demos Folding Rotor Technology for its High-Speed Vertical Take-off and Landing (HSVTOL) Concept

Bell High-Speed Vertical Take-off and Landing (HSVTOL) concept has successfully achieved a full-scale demonstration of its folding rotor technology and digital flight control systems.

“This milestone, advanced Bell’s HSVTOL technology to a technology readiness level (TRL) of 4 in 2021, and our 2022 development plan has us rapidly progressing to TRL 5 with an integrated demonstration - one step closer to flight” said Jeff Nissen, senior manager of Advanced Technology and the HSVTOL program manager at Bell.

Bell’s demonstration validated several critical elements of HSVTOL enabling technologies including reliable folding rotor hardware and robust digital flight control. The team completed the digital design of this system and rapidly built and tested the hardware and software required to perform a full conversion of the rotor system from turboprop to jet mode.

HSVTOL blends hover capability of a helicopter with the speed, range and survivability features of jet aircraft. This family of aircraft concepts delivers low downwash hover capability, jet-like speeds more than 400 kts, and scalability to support a range of missions from personnel recovery, autonomous ISR/Strike, and tactical mobility. HSVTOL’s runway independence offers flexibility to support future military needs.

Recently, Bell’s V-280 Valor long range assault aircraft demonstrator safely concluded a three-year flight test after achieving over 200 flight hours.