Bell has completed the first nacelle structures and begun gearbox testing for the MV-75 Cheyenne, advancing development of the US Army’s next-generation vertical lift aircraft towards flight testing.
The milestones also include continued software and systems integration at Bell’s Weapon System Integration Lab (WSIL), where flight-control computers, general-purpose computers, actuator drive units, electrical components, and large-area displays are undergoing testing.
The first nacelle structures have been completed at Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center in Texas, where the company has begun assembling the wing and nacelle structures. The work uses digital engineering processes spanning engineering development, tooling, component manufacture, and assembly.
Bell has also initiated testing of the first gearboxes for the MV-75 test aircraft. The gearboxes form part of the aircraft’s drive system and power electrical generators, hydraulic pumps, and cooling blowers for the engine and nacelle.
Both the gearbox gears and cases were manufactured at Bell’s Manufacturing Technology Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The complete system has been assembled and instrumented for testing at the company’s new MV-75 Drive System Test Lab in Grand Prairie, Texas.
The gearbox testing represents an important step in validating a critical aircraft system before flight. For future sustainment, the drive system’s performance and reliability will be relevant to maintenance planning, component inspection, and lifecycle support, although Bell has not announced specific maintenance arrangements for the MV-75.
Software integration is progressing in parallel at the WSIL in Arlington, Texas. Testing systems on dedicated benches allows Bell to validate hardware and software interfaces before installation and flight testing, helping identify integration issues earlier in the development process.
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Bell said the completed nacelles, gearbox testing and maturing software integration bring the first MV-75 test aircraft closer to completion and the start of flight testing. The company is working with the US Army to ensure the aircraft meets programme requirements.
For the MRO sector, the milestones offer an early view of the structural, mechanical and digital systems that will underpin the MV-75’s eventual maintenance and support requirements as the programme advances towards operational service.
