At the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, held in the United Kingdom from July 20 to 24, U.S. company Bell Textron, part of Textron Corporation, showcased the MV-75 Cheyenne II tiltrotor aircraft. The editorial team of MILMAG Military Magazine learned several new details about the aircraft’s development program and had an opportunity to look inside the cabin.
Photo: Jakub Link-Lenczowski, MILMAG
The MV-75 Cheyenne II is the winner of the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program to replace the UH-60M/V Black Hawk multirole helicopter fleet. Collins Aerospace is a partner in the program.
The official MV-75 alphanumeric designation for the tiltrotor aircraft based on the V-280 Valor proposal was approved on May 14, 2025. The prototypes will be designated YMV-75A. On April 15 this year, during the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) conference, the U.S. Army announced the aircraft’s official name: Cheyenne II.
According to information obtained by the editorial team of MILMAG Military Magazine, a Bell Textron representative said that the first two YMV-75A prototypes are currently in production and, once delivered, will undergo further acceptance testing by the U.S. Army. Interestingly, the Army selected a more conservative avionics layout with ergonomics similar to those of the H-60 Black Hawk family.
MILMAG also learned unofficially that South Korea, Australia, and potentially the Kingdom of the Netherlands have expressed interest in the MV-75A Cheyenne II. Meanwhile, the baseline V-280 Valor tiltrotor is being tested by the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. As can be seen on the aircraft displayed at Farnborough, the unit’s emblem is applied to the fuselage. The division is expected to become the first operational user of the aircraft. Bell Textron has so far delivered one of two virtual MV-75 simulators.
FLRAA
On August 2, 2024, the U.S. Army announced approval of the Milestone B phase for the FLRAA program, part of Future Vertical Lift – Medium (FVL-M). This is expected to result in an order for six YMV-75A prototypes from Bell Textron. The company’s proposal was selected on December 5, 2022.
The six planned prototypes will be acquired under a framework agreement signed in December 2022 and initially valued at 232.2 million USD. The aircraft will be developed during the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase, for which 1.361 billion USD was allocated under the National Defense Authorization Act.
Under the current schedule, the first production-representative YMV-75A prototype is expected to make its maiden flight in 2026, while deliveries are to be accelerated from 2030 to 2028.
The V-280 Valor, on which the YMV-75A will be based, was originally developed for the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator program launched in 2013. The aircraft’s composite airframe was unveiled in late September 2015, while the completed prototype, registered N280BH, made its first flight on December 18, 2017.
The V-280 Valor features a triple-redundant fly-by-wire flight-control system, a V-tail, fixed wings, large 1.8 m-wide sliding side doors, and retractable landing gear. Its maximum takeoff weight is expected to be approximately 13,680 kg. Power is provided by two General Electric T64-GE-419 turboshaft engines, each rated at 4,750 hp, or 3,540 kW.
The U.S. Army’s YMV-75A will instead be powered by Rolls-Royce’s AE 1107.
In the longer term, the MV-75 is also expected to replace MH-60M special operations support helicopters and HH-60M medical evacuation helicopters. Bell Textron also intends to offer the aircraft to the U.S. Navy as a replacement for the MH-60R/S Seahawk maritime multirole helicopter fleet. In 2020, the tiltrotor was offered to Poland, among other countries, while the United Kingdom also expressed interest in the aircraft at the time.