Originally Posted by
Lonewolf_50
Sultan, what do you mean by this?
Are you suggesting that Bell is currently in a position to go into the LRIP stage?
If I may venture a reply:
Bell had always said that they were building their JMR-TD demonstrator in such a way that they could go in a rapid manner to production if they weren't bound by the Army's glacial FVL-M schedule. Back in 2017 they were saying they could deliver (I can't remember if it was initial production or IOC) by 2024. Keep in mind that JMR-TD was not meant to result in a production contract.
Originally, both the demonstrators were to fly in 2017 and a one year demonstration phase was to follow. This phase was to be funded partly by the Government, but mostly by the manufacturers, with the carrot being that the manufacturers who flew in JMR-TD could be expected to have a leg up when the actual FVL-M competition started years later. Then next phase, starting in 2019 would be the Army spending a few years analyzing the JMR-TD results of the two concepts. Of courses ince Sikorsky's SB>1 was, as were all previous X2s, way late getting in the air that didn't happen.
In 2018 Bell basically accomplished all that was to demonstrated in JMR-TD. As late as December they were offering to take the V-280 beyond what was required for the TD phase and expand the envelope and produce more data, albeit with financial participation by the Army. In addition, they were talking about taking the V-280 at their own expense on a demonstration tour, similar to what was done with the XV-15.
I suspect that what's happening is that while there was much hoopla about the Army pressing forward with FVL-M which had the interest of all the services plus potential foreign sales, it seems lately that what the Army really wants to fund is FVL-Light, their latest attempt to replace the OH-58, a craft primarily of interest only to them. The requirements for this craft don't require anywhere near the advance that FVL-M does. Bell is saying that they can't ask their shareholders to keep funding an aircraft for a market that, no matter how successful, for which the Government is not all that anxious to develop. So, Bell is saying that without further government interest in moving on, since they've met the requirements for JMR-TD, they're going to stop flying the V-280 and put their money on something where there's a chance of a production contract in the foreseeable future. We may see Sikorsky fly the SB>1 the minimum they can just so people will not dismiss the technology out of hand and follow Bell's lead of going where the money is.
This would be too bad, and a great loss to the country.
IMO