21-05-2025
Screaming Eagles will be first to get U.S. Army's MV-75
The 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, will be the first to receive the MV-75 Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft.
Why it matters: The Bell Textron-made tiltrotor will replace a significant portion of the Black Hawk helicopter fleet.
The yearslong FLRAA competition pitted some of the biggest names in defense against each other.
Driving the news: Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus revealed the plan at the Army Aviation Association of America's conference in Tennessee.
"This aircraft changes how we move forces. More importantly, it changes the geometry of ground combat," he said. "And we're not waiting for a distant out-year to make this thing real."
"The 101st flies into real-world contested environments, across wide terrain, often without the luxury of fixed support infrastructure. They need speed, endurance, and reliability."
Catch up quick: Bell bested a Sikorsky-Boeing team in 2022.
The Government Accountability Office denied a contract protest in 2023.
Fun fact: The MV-75 designation refers to its multi-mission assignments (air assault, medical evacuation and resupply), its vertical-takeoff-and-landing capabilities and the establishment of the Army in 1775.
