In 2021, Bell demonstrated three aircraft concepts under its High-Speed Vertical Takeoff Aircraft (HSVTOL) project. They combine the vertical takeoff capabilities of the Bell V-280 Valor helicopter with the fast horizontal takeoff capabilities of a jet engine. The concept aircraft was selected by DARPA for the second phase of the Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) project.
Bell was selected because it had already successfully tested a folding propeller system when the aircraft was flying horizontally last year. The original HSVTOL concept consisted of a cargo plane, an infantry carrier aircraft and another in the form of a small drone.
SPRINT technology is intended to be used to produce cargo aircraft that can land anywhere the military needs them. This is because the US military wants to be prepared in case of an island-hopping war in Asia if China wants to expand its power. The cargo aircraft to be built will be equipped with a 40-meter-wide wingspan and a 40-foot-wide cargo bay.
In addition to investing in the hybrid aircraft development program, the USAF is also developing a Rocket Cargo system that can deliver military supplies anywhere in the world within an hour using rockets. SpaceX and Rocket Lab Inc. have been selected, with each rocket required to carry up to 82 tons of cargo, the same capacity as the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane currently in use.