The Blackhawk successor has been decided

The tiltrotor Bell V-280 Valor by Textron has been selected by the US Army as the future long-range assault aircraft to replace the Blackhawk helicopter fleet under the FLRAA (Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft) project.
Thanks to the tiltrotor design, the V-280 can fly at speeds of up to 280 knots and has a range of up to 800 nautical miles. Additionally, it can carry more soldiers and cargo: up to 14 soldiers and a maximum takeoff weight of over 30,000 pounds compared to 9 passengers and 22,000 pounds for the UH-60M.

The initial contract is for $232 million but could potentially reach up to $70 billion. There is a 19-month development and testing phase planned, with the goal of having the system operational by 2030.

The Army plans to initially purchase 750 to 1,000 FLRAA units and operate a mix of Blackhawks and Valors for decades. For those shocked by the decision to continue using the Blackhawk, it is worth noting that the Air Force has just begun phasing out their UH-1 Hueys, which were introduced in the 1960s, and that the US Marines have just completed an upgrade of their UH-1Y Venoms.

The Bell V-280 Valor online