Image: RTX
The US Army’s next-generation rotorcraft, the MV-75 Cheyenne, will rely on aviation systems already proven across millions of commercial flight hours. Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, has been selected by Bell Textron to supply five core systems for the aircraft.
The systems include main power generators, drive shafts and couplings, smart air data sensors, aircrew seating, and ice detection and protection units. Each has years of commercial service behind it, according to Collins Aerospace.
Commercial roots, military application
Collins Aerospace’s power generators log roughly 500,000 commercial flight hours daily worldwide. This capacity should help the Cheyenne meet the Army’s ambition to fly “twice as far, twice as fast.”
The aircraft’s interconnect drive system depends on durable shafts already flying on more than 75 platforms, including the full V-22 drive system. Its SmartProbe air data technology, meanwhile, operates across more than 25 aircraft types.
Cockpit seating draws on 40,000 cycles of commercial testing and ergonomic principles used in business jets, whilst the ice protection system builds on over nine decades of engineering experience.
Reducing risk through proven technology
The approach reflects the Army’s broader push to cut costs by adopting mature commercial technology rather than developing new systems from scratch.
Stephanie Bell, Director of Customer Excellence at Collins Aerospace, commented that combining military-grade performance with commercial technology allows rapid modernisation. She added that existing global manufacturing and service networks would support the aircraft “for the next 50 years.”
By integrating field-tested components, Collins says it is helping Bell lower programme risk, accelerate fielding timelines, and improve long-term sustainment for the Army’s next rotorcraft.
Read more on RTX’s website
