Bell Textron has selected GE Aerospace to develop avionics for the US Army’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft.
The partnership follows the recent selection of the V-280 as the army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).
Solutions for the project will be based on GE’s Voice and Data Recorder, Common Open Architecture Digital Backbone (COADB), and Health Awareness System.
The Voice and Data Recorder is an end-to-end system relaying and analyzing voice files and data information to sustain mission cycles and flight quality assurance.
COADB is an open architecture system that rapidly integrates aircraft equipment packages and sensors depending on user requirements.
Meanwhile, GE’s Health Awareness System offers predictive maintenance curated through “decades of commercial and military operation,” providing increased mission readiness and lesser repair expenses.
“This is a foundational effort to improve weapon system capability and affordability for the Army by ensuring architectural alignment for integration of new technology,” Bell FLRAA Program Director and Senior Vice President Ryan Ehinger explained.
“This collaborative approach provides the Army a vendor-agnostic path to explore new systems and capabilities – delivering soldiers the right tools for success in multi-domain missions.”
Securing a Battlefield Advantage
According to Bell, all systems covered align with the US Department of Defense’s Modular Open Systems Approach, a standardization initiative supporting the timely verification, testing, and fielding of advanced technologies for future vertical lift programs.
“Our open systems technologies and experience provide the customer with the ability to make aircraft system modifications for this next generation of vertical lift aircraft,” GE Aerospace Defense & Systems CEO and President Amy Gowder stated.
“This changes how aircraft are updated and maintained, and it ensures that our soldiers have an advantage on the battlefield.”