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.
Michael Peck is a correspondent for Defense News and a columnist for the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. in political science from Rutgers University. Find him on X at @Mipeck1. His email is mikedefense1@gmail.com.
