The United States Army has officially adopted the new name Bell MV-75 Cheyenne II for the Bell V-280 Valor vertical takeoff helicopter that won the FLRAA contract in 2022. The MV-75 is the aircraft that will take over from the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters currently in service.
Bell V-280 Valor
The name of the Cheyenne indigenous people was chosen to honor their contributions to the United States through their distinguished service as uniformed personnel and their legacy as staunch defenders of their way of life.
Bell MV-75 Cheyenne II
The name Cheyenne II was chosen after the name used by the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne, which was developed in 1967 for the Army's combat helicopter program. It lost out to the Bell AH-1G Cobra despite having a unique tri-propeller configuration with a single main propeller on top, a single side propeller for lateral control, and a single pusher propeller in the tail.
Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne
The use of the MV abbreviation is unique because it is a combination of “M” for multi-mission and “V” for aircraft that can take off and land vertically. The number 75 was chosen in conjunction with the year the United States Army was founded in 1775. This aircraft is capable of vertical flight like the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey which has been in service with the Marines since 2007.
The MV-75 Cheyenne II was originally scheduled to enter service by 2031. However, current military requirements under the Trump administration will accelerate its introduction into the United States Army as early as 2027. The Cheyenne II will be used for the purpose of transporting infantry, cargo, drone launch platforms, MEDIVAC and has a special forces variant similar to the MH-60M/L Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) currently in use,
The V-22 has a bad reputation with 16 aircraft having crashed involving 62 deaths. The MH-75 has been equipped with several improvements to avoid this issue and can fly at higher speeds. Tilt-wing aircraft like the MH-75 could combine the capabilities of helicopters with conventional aircraft needed for future American military missions.
