This move reflects the determination to accelerate the modernization of the army's aviation force in the context of a rapidly changing global security environment.
MV-75 is a product of the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program, developed by Bell (a subsidiary of Textron, a US multi-industry industrial - defense corporation), based on the V-280 Valor prototype.
Bell won the FLRAA competition in 2022, when the Army was expected to not be able to put the aircraft into operation until mid-2030.
However, this timeline has been continuously adjusted earlier, from 2030 to 2028 and now to 2027.
According to Colonel Dave Butler, spokesman for the US Army, the new procurement strategy allows testing this year and deployment next year.
We are equipping soldiers with the best and fastest capabilities possible," Colonel Dave Butler emphasized.
Notably, the first MV-75 is still in the process of being manufactured and has not performed any test flights.
However, its technology platform, the V-280 Valor, has been widely test-flighted since 2017, significantly reducing risks.
The US Army expects the MV-75 to replace most of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter squadron, including special variants of the 160th Special Air Force Regiment (SOAR).
US Army Chief of Staff, General Randy George, recently emphasized accelerating the program at a meeting in Fort Drum, New York.
He said that MV-75 will be put into operation simultaneously in the standing forces, National Guard and special forces units, instead of being deployed according to a long roadmap as before.
In terms of capability, the MV-75 is expected to bring a leap in airborne maneuverable attack. The aircraft has a range and speed nearly double that of the Black Hawk, a particularly important factor in combat scenarios in the Indo-Pacific region, where targets are scattered on a large scale and lack a transit point.
However, the program also faces many challenges. In a report released last year, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned that the increase in weight of the MV-75 is creating average risk for carrying capacity. According to GAO, the expected weight reduction is still far from the requirement to bring risk to a low level, and some key technologies have not yet reached full maturity.
However, the US Army said that the application of digital technology, digital replicas and open architecture is helping to minimize risks and shorten the development cycle. In the context that many other air programs have been canceled, the fact that MV-75 not only "survives" but is also strongly accelerated shows a clear change in the mindset of receiving new technology of the US Army.
If this ambitious progress is maintained, the MV-75 will become an important test for the ability to quickly deploy key military capabilities in the future.
