Bell Helicopter’s V-280 Valor looks like a slimmed-down version of the tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey, with a speed goal of 320 mph and a proposed troop capacity will be about half that of the V-22.
It is mocked up in three different versions: a utility variant to carry people or equipment, a medical evacuation model, and an attack helicopter complete with missiles.
v280valorArtists rendering courtesy Bell HelicopterV-280 Valor Concept
Carrying 12 troops and a crew of four, hovering at 6,000 feet in high temperatures, flying 2,400 miles, and traveling at 265 mph is a lot for any one vehicle to do. Ned Chase, a program director for the project, says “developing a joint aircraft instead of a separate version for each service is expected to save time and money in technology development,” but other joint projects with lots of requirements show it doesn’t always work out that way.
This article originally appeared on Popular Science.