Bell Helicopter has unveiled a design for a tilt-rotor UAV.
The V-247 Vigilant resembles a cross between a Predator drone and an Osprey manned tiltrotor aircraft. A Bell news release touts it as combining "the vertical lift capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a conventional fixed-wing aircraft."
The V-247 would be a large UAV with a 65-foot wingspan. It would weigh 8 tons empty and carry up to 13,000 pounds of fuel, weapons and sensors. The tiltrotors on either wingtip are designed to deliver a 250-knot cruise speed and a combat radius of 450 nautical miles. The aircraft would have 11-hour endurance and the ability to refuel in midair.
The V-247 is intended as a ship-based naval UAV, with folding wings to enable operations from destroyer-sized vessels. Missions would include ISR, electronic warfare as well as strike operations using Hellfire missiles, Mk-50 torpedoes and the Joint Air-Ground Missile.
"The Bell V-247 Vigilant satisfies the comprehensive spectrum of capabilities outlined in the 2016 Marine Corps Aviation Plan, and could be available for production as early as 2023," Bell said.
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