Bell Textron Unveils Facility for Advancing Long-Range Assault Aircraft Program

Defense News ,U.S :-  Bell Textron recently opened its Weapon Systems Integration Lab in Arlington, Texas, to help the US Army with its Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program.

The FLRAA program is all about creating new helicopters for the army to replace the old ones. These new helicopters will be used for things like lifting off vertically, combat, and medical purposes.

The lab will be a place where they can safely and quickly test and put together the latest tiltrotor and mission systems for the FLRAA's chosen aircraft, the Bell V-280 Valor.

Ryan Ehinger, Bell's SVP and FLRAA Program Director, said that this lab is crucial for making sure Bell's advanced digital engineering and open architecture work well, providing top-notch performance for the US Army.

The Bell V-280 Valor is a tiltrotor chosen as the new Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft for the US Army.

This lab is seen as a big investment by Bell and comes after the construction of a large area for flight research in 2021. It will focus on various aspects like electronics, hydraulics, avionics, sensors, and flight controls for different aircraft programs, both manned and unmanned.

Arlington Mayor Jim Ross expressed gratitude for Bell's long-standing partnership and the recent investment in the city's economic development.

The FLRAA program started in 2019 to replace old helicopters like the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache, which have been in service since the late 1970s. By 2030, the plan is to use these new aircraft, as the older ones complete their service life. In 2022, the Pentagon signed a $1.3-billion contract with Bell Textron to bring in the FLRAA aircraft for the US Army.