Bell Textron has selected RTX’s Collins Aerospace to supply five critical systems for the US Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).
These include the main power generation, cockpit seating, interconnect drive system, SmartProbe air data system, and ice protection system — supporting the FLRAA’s abilities to fly at twice the speed and range of the helicopter fleet it is set to replace while maintaining stable performance.
Work will be completed in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia.
“We have ready-now manufacturing and service capabilities around the globe to ensure the Army can urgently deliver, modernize, and sustain the MV-75 FLRAA for the next 50 years,” said Troy Brunk, President of Collins Aerospace.
FLRAA Progress
Bell won the $1.3-billion contract in 2022 to produce the FLRAA, based on the company’s V-280 Valor, set to replace the army’s aging Black Hawk and Apache helicopters by 2030.
In 2024, Bell opened the FLRAA’s Weapon Systems Integration Lab in Arlington, Texas.
The program, leveraging digital engineering and a modular open systems approach, reached the engineering and manufacturing development phase in the same year, clearing the way for the construction of six prototypes.
In 2025, the FLRAA received its designation as the MV-75 upon commissioning and assignment to the “Screaming Eagles” of the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Bell also delivered two virtual prototypes to the army for soldier testing and feedback.
Beyond RTX, other program suppliers include Integris Composites for armor systems, Safran for flight testing solutions and antennae, GE Aerospace for avionics systems, and Marotta Controls for a power inverter.
