Bell Textron Selects Site for Future Long Range Assault Aircraft Fuselage Assembly

Bell Textron announced it has chosen Wichita, Kansas, as the assembly site for the fuselage of the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).

The new facility, located at Beech Field on Textron Aviation’s East Campus near Textron Aviation Defense, will focus on producing the fuselage for this military aircraft. Bell plans to initiate operations at this site in the coming months as it advances through the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the FLRAA program.

In addition to the Wichita facility, various components of the FLRAA will be produced at Bell’s facilities in Texas. This includes the Advanced Composite Center in Fort Worth, where specialized parts will be manufactured, while final assembly of the aircraft will take place in Amarillo. The program’s multi-location production strategy is intended to optimize manufacturing efficiency and leverage each site’s specialized capabilities.

Building on the $1.3 billion FLRAA contract award in December 2022 after besting an offering by Sikorsky-Boeing, Bell established new facilities and manufacturing processes to support the program. The Bell FLRAA weapons system is intended to replace the Army’s UH-60 Blackhawk utility helicopters.

The Bell FLRAA represents a next-generation vertical lift solution, featuring a tiltrotor configuration that combines the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability of a helicopter with the range and speed of a twin turboprop aircraft. The U.S. Army’s new long-range assault aircraft aims to fly twice as far and twice as fast as the current fleet.

The program aims to provide an aircraft for missions such as air assault, medical evacuation, and logistics support.

The selected aircraft, the Bell Textron V-280 Valor, boasts a top speed of 280 knots, a range exceeding 500 nautical miles, and a payload capacity of 14 troops or 10,000 pounds of cargo. In contrast, the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing AH-64 Apache have top speeds of 159 knots (183 mph) and 153 knots (176 mph), respectively. The V-280 Valor is poised to replace both as a next-generation solution.

The V-280 is scheduled to take its first flight in 2026, followed by low-rate initial production in 2028, and initial operational fielding by 2030.