Bell completed the wing structures for the first two MV-75 Cheyenne II tiltrotors, which will soon join fuselage and engine nacelles currently progressing through assembly.
Bell has announced that it has completed the wing structures for the first two MV-75 Cheyenne II tiltrotors. The milestone further advances the production of the first eight test aircraft, of which six are currently in various stages of assembly.
These wings, upon systems’ integration, will be mated with the other components. Among these are the fuselage, currently being assembled at the Wichita Assembly Center, and the Nacelle, which is also progressing through assembly.
Bell explained that the wing is a key piece of structure for the MV-75, as it “provides the structural backbone of the aircraft with robust strength, optimized stiffness, and enhanced survivability.” The company described the components saying that the wing is made by composite wing skins and spars on a tailored aluminum substructure, all produced and assembled in-house.
Notably, Bell mentioned that the production of the first wing, completed in February 2026, required “ 90% fewer labor hours compared to the initial V-22 wing build.” The lessons learned allowed for “an additional 40% reduction” during the production of the second wing compared to the V-22 Osprey.
“After decades of building V-22 wings, we’ve learned new ways to do things better, faster and smarter by implementing these lessons into the design upfront,” said Culley Shafer, director of operations, Amarillo, Bell. “The team is constantly evolving, making adjustments, refining sequencing and implementing engineering changes to keep raising the bar on quality, safety and efficiency.”
Bell additionally said it is making significant progress on the MV-75 test aircraft and is accelerating toward the program’s test phase and production. The delivery of the first MV-75 prototype is currently scheduled by the end of 2026, with initial flight testing to begin in early 2027.
The MV-75
In April 2026, the U.S. Army has officially announced that the MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) will be named as Cheyenne II, continuing the service’s tradition of honoring Native American tribes with the names of its aircraft. The Army explained the MV-75’s speed, range, and adaptability mirrored the historical attributes of the Cheyenne tribes.
The service also acknowledged that the MV-75 Cheyenne II is the first entirely new platform to be introduced into the inventory since the 1980s. The tiltrotor will complement the helicopter currently in service, allowing to extend the reach of Army Aviation units.
“The MV-75 Cheyenne II represents a new era of Army aviation, with capabilities that far exceed the current fleet,” said the service. With the publicly disclosed range of roughly 2,440 nautical miles, the MV-75 is said to be able to fly twice as fast and twice as far as the current UH-60M Black Hawk.
The Army initiated the FLRAA program in 2019 as part of its Future Vertical Lift initiative to replace a portion of its assault and utility helicopter fleet. The Bell V-280 Valor won the competition for the Army’s new helicopter in late 2022, with FLRAA becoming the only Future Vertical Lift (FVL) platform to move into the EMD phase.
The U.S. Army has officially designated MV-75 as the Mission Design Series (MDS) for the new aircraft in May 2025. The service explained the number “75” commemorates the Army’s founding year, 1775, while the MDS indicates “M” stands for multi-mission and “V” stands for vertical takeoff.
The first virtual prototype was accepted by the U.S. Army on June 24, 2025, at the Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, while the second on was delivered later that month to Fort Rucker’s Aviation Center of Excellence. These virtual prototypes are advanced simulators based on a digital twin of the FLRAA weapon system, explained the service.
In January 2026, then U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy A. George said the MV-75 might fly as soon as this year. The General motivated this by citing the urgency of rapidly integrating advanced capabilities in response to global technological shifts and battlefield needs.
On that occasion, we reached out to the U.S. Army to clarify this aspect and a spokesperson told us in an emailed statement that “the MV-75 prototype is scheduled to be delivered at the end of this calendar year and begin testing in early 2027.”
The service is closely guarding the timeline, and it is thus unclear when the first flight will actually take place. “It’s going to happen when it’s going to happen. So we are moving as fast as we can,” said Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, Program Acquisition Executive for Maneuver Air, according to Breaking Defense’s report.
The current timeline sees the MV-75 delivered to units in the 2031-2032 timeframe. The service already designated the 101st Airborne Division as the first unit to field the MV-75, and said special operations-specific requirements were incorporated into the FLRAA’s design to facilitate the introduction in the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR).
