Bell Textron Pushes V-280 Valor for Australian Army

Bell’s V-280 Valor won the US Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft competition (Bell)

Bell Textron is advancing efforts to promote its V-280 Valor tiltrotor to Australia’s Army. Carl Coffman, Bell’s VP for military sales, will meet with Lt. Gen. Simon Stuart to discuss how the V-280 can meet Australia’s defence and disaster response needs. Coffman highlighted Australia’s vast geography and remote terrain, emphasizing the aircraft’s speed and flexibility for rapid internal force movement. He noted Australia’s familiarity with tiltrotors through the US Marine presence in Darwin and suggested the V-280’s advantages for disaster relief across the Indo-Pacific. While not yet available, the V-280 is in development, with the first test flights planned for 2026 and potential sales likely through the US Foreign Military Sales program.