MV-75 Official Designation Given To Future U.S. Army Tiltrotor Assault Aircraft
The U.S. Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) tiltrotors will be designated MV-75s, the service announced today at the Army Aviation Association of America's annual Mission Solutions Summit.
In 2022, the Army picked a design from Bell based on that company's V-280 Valor tiltrotor as the winner of its FLRAA competition. The service expects to replace a substantial number of its H-60 Black Hawk helicopters, including a portion of the special operations MH-60Ms assigned to the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), with new MV-75s. The design is set to be finalized by the end of the year, and incorporates features to help make it easier to convert baseline variants into special operations versions.
Just announced by the @USArmy: MV-75! The U.S. Army's official mission-design series designator (MDS) for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). #FLRAA#MV75#ArmyModernization#AAAA2025pic.twitter.com/1qELo7PmTQ
— Bell (@BellFlight) May 14, 2025
A prototype YMV-75A designation for FLRAA was reportedly approved in November 2024, according to the Designation-Systems.net website. TWZ had been working to confirm that designation with the Army since March.
In terms of the designation itself, the 'M' stands for 'multi-mission' and the 'V' refers to it being a vertical takeoff and landing capable design. The use of the 'M' prefix for the baseline FLRAA variant is interesting given that previous Army transport helicopters like the Black Hawk and the Chinook have all had designations starting with 'U' for utility or 'C' for cargo. The 'multi-mission' designation here may, in part, reflect the baked-in special operations-specific features.
The Army may also be expecting the baseline FLRAA design to be more readily adaptable to other missions, like the casualty evacuation or 'dustoff' role. Army helicopters used for that mission set have often had designations 'H' search and rescue prefixes.
Whether the number '75,' which is very much out of sequence with other known 'V' designations, has any special significance is unknown. Designation-Systems.net says that XV-25A, reportedly approved last year for the experimental tilt-ducted fan ARES drone, is the most recent in-sequence designation in that category. TWZ has reached out to the Army for more information.
The official announcement of the MV-75 designation for FLRAA comes as the Army is looking to accelerate the fielding of these tiltrotors. The service sees the increased speed and range the tiltrotors offer over the Black Hawk as particularly critical for any future high-end conflict in the Pacific region.
The Army's stated goal has been for the MV-75 to begin entering service by 2030, but has said more recently that they are now trying to aim for the 2028 timeframe. The service has also pushed back on reports about the potential for the FLRAA program to be truncated or even cancelled as part of a larger service-wide force restructuring.
The 101st Airborne Division, the Army's premier air assault unit, is set to be the first unit to get MV-75s. The 101st has already begun laying the groundwork to receive the future titlors, which officials say will completely transform how it conducts operations, as you can read more about here.
As noted, versions specially configured for special operations missions are also on the horizon for the 160th SOAR.
'We're not waiting for a distant out-year to make this thing real,' Gen. James Mingus, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, said in prepared remarks at the Mission Solutions Summit today, according to Defense News. 'Under the Army Transformation Initiative, we are driving to get this aircraft online years ahead of schedule.'
If the Army has its way, at least as it has been communicated now, the first operational MV-75s could start being delivered well before the end of the decade.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
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