Manufacturer Follows Jaunt in Next Portion of HSVTOL Program

Bell Textron announced its progression in the US Air Force AFWERX High Speed VTOL Concept Challenge, advancing as one of 11 companies who received market research investments aimed at advancing their systems.

With their progression, the will spend the next half year further refining their concepts with the USAF, and SOCOM through the digital team workspace provided by prime contractor Collaboration.AI. The concepts are not slated for actual production or development any time soon, instead the program is more of a market research project geared towards brainstorming and developing the real-world usage and viability of cutting-edge aircraft designs. 

Bell's entries include 3 distinctive variations of their jet-powered aircraft, from light to heavy. In theme with the challenge, Bell needs to think outside the box, maybe even redesign the fundamental concept of traditional rotary wing aircraft. Much like the tiltrotor Osprey managed to rewrite a small portion of the book on combat air procedures, the next generation of high-speed VTOL aircraft could allow operators to reassess basic, fundamental combat doctrine.

As conceptualized now, the aircraft are designed to offer jet-like cruise capability over 400 knots with range to match, combined with runway independence and hover endurance. Judging from the angular, tapered fuselage, some passive stealth capability is likely included. Bell's work on the concept seems to be entirely virtual, being based in the Collaboration.AI platform. 

AFWERX seeks to provide the USAF with an innovation specialist, a system to "expand the defense industrial base for advanced technologies and drive faster technology transition to operational capability." Working off commercial options has enabled a faster pace of development than doing projects in-house, allowing external industry partners sufficient freedom to pivot where they need with minimal program constraints. 

FMI: www.afwerxchallenge.com