An October 3rd US ‘Defense Blog‘ post revealed that the famous American helicopter manufacturer Bell Company has come up with their new innovation 360 Invictus rotorcraft along with the US Army Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft project.
The prototype of the gyroplane is already revealed. The company promises the US army a cheap, flexible and powerful helicopter gunship project that will give the US military modern warfare advantages. 360 Invictus is a specialized attack helicopter tasked with inserting small special forces teams behind hostile lines.
The report also showcases the modern and powerful features of the Bell 360 Invictus. The aircraft is reportedly proven to meet all the US military requirements for their FARA project at a cheap price. Bell’s experience at the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) project and Kiowa Warrior helped it to produce this small, inexpensive and powerful next-generation gyroplane.
The main rotor system Bell 360 Invictus has the same features as the Bell 525 model. Therefore it is reliable, tested and proven to be faster than 200 knots True Air Speed. It also gives the aircraft a performance cruise speed of over 185 KTAS and the lift-sharing wing lessens the stress of the rotor to give it high-speed maneuvering.
The 360 Invictus has a tested combat range of 135 nm with an on-station time of 90 minutes and 1,400 lb of payload. Along with this, it can hover out of ground effect at 4,000 ft in 90° F (33° C). The aircraft also includes a supplemental power unit to handle high-power demands and an upgradable fly-by-wire flight control system for greater agility.
This next-gen aircraft is loaded with powerful missiles too. It carries a 20-mm cannon, an integrated munitions launcher, air-launched effects integration and can also ship the present US Army weapons inventory. In addition to those, the Bell 360 Invictus also comes with enhanced situational awareness and sensor suite.
The manufacturer company claims that they could come up with such powerful designs by combining proven designs with the best available technology from military programs. These next-generation aircraft are made available for the US army with increased safety and greater operational readiness.
Vince Tobin, the executive vice president of Military Business at Bell said:
The Bell 360 will deliver advanced battlefield situational awareness, as well as lethal options, in support of the maneuver force at an affordable cost. The multi-domain fight will be complex, and our team is delivering a highly capable, low-risk solution to confidently meet operational requirements with a sustainable fleet. – Vince Tobin
Bell is constantly improving the designs of its aircraft to provide the lastest services to the army. It has also developed the successor of the Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters which will be into US military service by 2030.
