Do you foresee the Bell-V-280 replacing the Blackhawk in the near future, and should I consider that when enlisting?

2018-06-15T12:28:09-04:00

The Bell-V280 was designed by Bell in an effort to replace the Blackhawk fleet, and completed its maiden flight yesterday. How will this affect someone enlisting as a 15T (Blackhawk Mechanic) in the coming years?

Response by Sgt Trevor Wills made Jun 15 at 2018 12:40 PM

2018-06-15T12:40:02-04:00

I wouldn't worry about that. The timeframe for this project (as any project goes) to get through flight test and full replacement of the h60s (if that were to ever happen) you would be close to retirement. But you could be looking at your first reenlistment when they are ready for initial integration and you could work with your career planner to lat move into that if you so desire.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jun 15 at 2018 12:42 PM

2018-06-15T12:42:45-04:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkthz2uszQI Honestly, if it were up to me, I wouldn't pursue something like this to replace a traditional helicopter. I would think further outside the box, like maybe a passenger/cargo carrying version of a Harrier jet using thrust rather than rotary wings to achieve lift. I don't see the Valor fitting inside the box either. Imagine the scenarios that a helicopter encounters. Could this fit into as tight a place as a helicopter. Those rotors separated by rather long stubs of wings would necessitate a rather large LZ, wouldn't they? Especially when many aircraft are delivering cargo/troops or picking them up simultaneously. But then, it isn't up to me, so my opinion matters little to your situation...

LOOK! V-280 Valor the next generation of tiltrotor Bell Helicopter made its inaugural flight

V-280 Valor next-generation tiltrotor makes maiden flight Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today announced that its V-280 Valor has achie...

Response by LTC Robert Harter made Jun 15 at 2018 2:35 PM

2018-06-15T14:35:23-04:00

Bell is competing against Sikorsky for the Army’s Future Vertical Lift contract. The contract may not be awarded for years, and even after it has been awarded, it will be decades before the Army retires the H-60 fleet.

Response by SSG Michael Scott made Jun 15 at 2018 5:31 PM

2018-06-15T17:31:00-04:00

The Blackhawk is the work horse just Like the C130 H

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2018 10:23 PM

2018-06-15T22:23:36-04:00

The UH-60 is slated to be around till at least 2060. The Army didn't even dump its last Vietnam-era Huey until two years ago. They're still teaching how to fly Alpha model Blackhawks at Fort Rucker. I'd say you're safe. You'll be probably over halfway to retirement before the first V-280s are delivered, if the Army even picks them up, which I personally hope they don't.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Jun 16 at 2018 11:25 AM

2018-06-16T11:25:56-04:00

If and when they get around to replacing the UH-60, they will retrain the mechanics to fix what it's replacement is.

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 22 at 2018 4:25 PM

2018-06-22T16:25:47-04:00

It shouldn’t affect anything, at least not for a very long time. It is extremely expensive to replace an airframe in the military, and there still has to be a lot more testing and development before the Army comes to a decision. So if I’m a betting man, my money is going to be on the UH-60 being around for almost another 30-40 years. However, even if for some reason they did replace it sooner rather than later, you would just go to another AIT to get trained on the new airframe. So my advice, definitely enlist as a 15T, I’ve absolutely loved it so far and Army Aviation is a good deal all around

Response by SSG Jerry Lint made Jul 6 at 2018 2:02 AM

2018-07-06T02:02:43-04:00

I don’t foresee anytime soon losing the fleet of Blackhawks especially now that they have come out with newer models and new mods, so don’t worry about the small stuff

Response by SSG Nathan Blair made Jul 16 at 2018 2:51 PM

2018-07-16T14:51:15-04:00

No, from experience, if they phase it out and you are good at your job, you will be transisioned to the new helicopter.