The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has granted Bell a $950,000 contract to conduct applied research into a high-speed vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.

Few details have been disclosed regarding “Bell’s High Speed VTOL (HSVTOL),” as it is referred to in the contract notice. However, the research contract comes several months after the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) said it was looking ahead for a VTOL aircraft with “jet speeds” to replace its Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor.

Diagram from Bell’s “Active Sail Blade” application published in December 2020. Source // Bell

Bell has been exploring aircraft that can take off vertically using tiltrotors, but then fly forward in cruise mode using thrust from jet engines, according to patent applications published between 2017 and 2020 by the US and European patent offices. Rotor blades would fold back to reduce drag during forward jet-powered flight.

“During operation as a turbofan engine, the bypass fan produces a bypass airflow to provide thrust to the aircraft,” explains a Bell patent application published by the European Patent Office in April 2020. “During operation as a turboshaft engine, the bypass airflow produced by the bypass fan is blocked, allowing other aircraft systems to utilize the power produced by the convertible engine via the power output shaft.”

Lieutenant General James Slife is the commander of AFSOC, and recently explained “we’re looking at a generational movement for vertical take-off and landing capability going into the future. I think it’ll probably be something quite different than the V-22.” Meanwhile, Bell is also pursuing development of the V-280 Valor for the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault program, which will have a cruise speed of 280 kts, only 29 kts faster than the CV-22 Osprey. However, the AFSOC has its sights set on a vehicle capable of “jet speeds” so it is unlikely that technology from the V-280 will be applied to Bell’s HSVTOL.

Why it’s important: The research Bell is conducting has potential to immensely grow the realm of possibilities for commercial aerial mobility. By optimizing vehicle design for higher speeds through the cruise phase of flight, eVTOL operators will have the option to connect passengers to further away destinations. Ultimately, the technology Bell is developing is ideal for bridging the regional mobility gap in the current air transportation industry.

Source // FlightGlobal

Earlier this week, real estate developer Hillwood and Bell Textron Inc demonstrated a point-to-point unmanned aircraft system (UAS) package delivery in North Texas.

The Bell Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) took off from the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone, and delivered a package to Pecan Square in Hillwood Communities’ tech-forward, master-planned community in Northlake, Texas.

Bell has recently made a massive name for itself in the aerial mobility industry by creating UAS systems like the ATP, unveiling multiple versions of its Nexus passenger aircraft at Vegas’s Consumer Electronics Show, and even beginning to design smart cities that support aerial mobility. Through these actions and more, Bell has begun to make itself a leading American name in aerial mobility advancement.

Hillwood, meanwhile, has also participated with companies like Uber Elevate in the past to design infrastructure for urban aerial mobility transportation. Said Ross Perot jr, chairman of Hillwood, “Together, we are carving a path forward for future commercial operations to solve the supply chain challenges our world currently faces.”

The APT initiated a vertical takeoff from the Mobility Innovation Zone, and then rotated to fly on its wing, becoming nearly silent to the ground below. The aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 300 feet above ground level, and flew a total of four total miles. Its route included flying near I-35W and unpopulated fields, transitioning in and out complex airspace in order to demonstrate the multiple types of airspace the APT could encounter during a commercial flight.

Said Mitch Synder, President and CEO and Bell, “This demonstration showcases the future application of the APT 70 as a logistics carrier. Testing at the MIZ showcases how Bell’s autonomous vehicles could seamlessly integrate into logistics operations, and unlock new opportunities for businesses.”

Multiple versions of Bell’s ATP system on the ground.

Why it’s important: Autonomous cargo transportation will almost certainly be the main way to lay the groundwork for the passenger-carrying aerial vehicles of the future. By setting out to begin these logistics services now, as well as simultaneously designing passenger vehicles like the Bell Nexus, Bell is creating a path for itself to bring aerial mobility networks to cities across the United States. Vehicles like Bell’s ATP will help Bell in building community acceptance, creating air mobility infrastructure, and testing flight technologies early on.

Bell, subsidiary of Textron Inc, has partnered with two Japanese companies in the development of eVTOL prototypes for the future. This week the company announced partnerships with both Sumitomo Corp. and Japan Airlines as part of its mobility-as-a-service offerings, or MaaS.

Bell is no stranger to the aerial mobility space with its extensive industry partnerships with Uber and its most recent air taxi concept, the Nexus 4EX, unveiled at CES in Las Vegas last month. Bell hopes to better understand infrastructure requirements and regulatory hurdles in the Asian Pacific markets through these key partnerships. 

Bell Nexus 4EX prototype unveiled at CES

“We are excited to take this substantial step to bring together an international airline, a major infrastructure provider, and a VTOL OEM to work collaboratively on a more connected mobility future,” said Scott Drennan, vice president of Innovation at Bell, in a prepared statement.

“While we are known for our 80 years of creating vertical lift aircraft that move people, goods, and data, we also want to help shape the operational infrastructure in which they will live,” Drennan added.

Sumitomo is a Japanese conglomerate involved in a multitude of industries including metal products, transporation, infrastructure and more. Japan Airlines (JAL) is one of the country’s leading passenger airlines with several international destinations. 

Over the coming months Bell will work alongside the two companies to develop policy and planning recommendations and better understand the transportation needs of urban travelers. 

Japan Airlines has partnered with Bell for futureneVTOL services.

Why it matters: The Asia Pacific (APAC) region will be one of the key markets for the commercialization of aerial mobility. The market is already has several competitors such as EHang, and with some of the highest population densities in the world, the mass adoption of eVTOL vehicles is highly likely. Bell’s partnership with these two Japanese companies is one of the earliest in the region and more details are expected to emerge as the partnership grows.

Bell has added yet another partner to the growing list that will be developing its Air Taxi. Moog’s role will be to design the Flight Control Actuation System.

As a reminder, Bell has yet to unveil the full version of its Air Taxi. For now, it has shown mockups of the planned interior of the aircraft, which was featured with an immersive VR experience at both CES and South by Southwest earlier this year. Bell has commented that it has not yet unveiled the full aircraft design because it would like to keep its propulsion system design private.

Bell’s Air Taxi interior is impressive, utilizing augmented reality as well as a control panel made up nearly entirely of screens.

Moog, the latest partner to Bell in addition to Safran, Garmin, EPS, and Thales, is an expert aircraft designer and supplier. For over 50 years, Moog Aircraft has provided many kinds of motion control technology ranging in use from commercial aircraft to power-generation turbines and even Formula One racing. While Bell will be responsible for the design, development and production of the VTOL systems, Moog will include providing the all-electric, fly-by-wire actuators and electronics used to direct and control the aircraft’s propulsion system and aero-surfaces.

“We are absolutely delighted that Moog has been selected by Bell to partner on this exciting program to explore and develop the on-demand mobility market. –Ralph Elbert, group vice president & GM of Moog Aircraft

“Bell continues to identify solutions and teammates that will achieve new possibilities together,” Scott Drennan, vice president of Innovation at Bell. “Within this collaboration, Moog will ensure an advanced, fully integrated actuation system which will provide a safe, reliable and affordable solution for our aircraft.”

Why its important: With the addition of Moog to its team, Bell has brought the number of partners on its air taxi project up to five. Also included are Thales for flight controls, Garmin for avionics, Safran for hybrid propulsion, and EPS for energy storage. Moog’s long-time expertise will help Bell develop flight technologies that meet cost, performance, weight, and reliability requirements for on-demand urban aviation.

Bell has added yet another company to its growing list of partners for the Bell Air Taxi project. This time, it’s Electric Power Systems (EPS).

Bell’s original design for the air taxi was full electric, but since further feasibility analysis, it has made the switch to hybrid electric. Bell also made this move to try to stick to its goal of multi-city testing by 2020.

Electric Power systems is a wide team of consulting engineers with years of experience in design, construction, and periodic maintenance of electric power supply systems. By partnering with EPS, Bell hopes to create the most cost-efficient and reliable battery management system for the upcoming Bell Air Taxi. Said Scott Brennan, Bell’s Vice President of Innovation:

“This collaboration with EPS is intended to further enhance the safety and performance of our aircraft through unique power storage capabilities”

Bell’s Mockup of the Air Taxi’s Control Panel

“As we forge relationships with new teammates, we move one step closer to bringing viable urban air mobility to the everyday commuter.”-Scott Drennan, Bell Vice President of Innovation.

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As a reminder, Bell is one of the partners for Uber Elevate on the UberAir project. Bell will also be working with Safran for the Air Taxi’s hybrid propulsion system, Garmin for autonomous vehicle management, and Thales for flight control system avionics.

Bell has yet remained somewhat secretive about its air taxi design. While many companies have released mockups and even flight demonstrations of their air taxi concepts, Bell has chosen only to show the interior of the aircraft, saying that for now it would like to keep its propulsion design to itself. However, the air taxi interior shows a very futuristic design featuring augmented reality and a control panel completely made up of screens. Read more about the Bell Air Taxi.

A visual from the VR demonstration of Bell’s Air Taxi experience

Why it’s important: Although Uber Elevate has announced Bell as one of its contractors for UberAir, it will also work with Karem Aircraft, Boeing’s Aurora Flight Sciences, Embraer, and Pipistrel Aircraft. According to Elevate’s website, Uber will work with all of these companies to develop its own (initially piloted) aircraft. It’s still a little unclear how all these companies are working with Uber, but the fact that Bell has consistently been adding more and more partners may suggest that it will be the main producer of UberAir VTOLs. Regardless, Uber is aiming for a strict 2023 operations launch, and will begin flight testing in 2020.

Bell has just released plans for an autonomous VTOL built for the toughest of Marine Corps missions.

The Bell V-247 ‘Vigilante’ is one of the largest unmanned VTOLs ever made. The tilt rotor combat drone is designed for a wide range of purposes including reconnaissance scouting, remote air strikes, cargo delivery, and more. It’s a versatile aircraft, made to launch from helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ships and more. It has more power and durability than any urban mobility eVTOL with a maximum speed of over 345mph, a maximum altitude of more than 25,000ft, and a payload capacity of 2,000lbs.

Bell exhibited the V-247 to the Marine Corps and the public on September 25th at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. Bell has been working on the V-247 since 2016. This was around the same time the Marine Corps announced its MUX ( Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary) VTOL program. Bell is currently the top option for the contract with MUX, having already sold its  V-22 Osprey into marine use.

A side view of the V-247 mock up

Bell is also working on an air taxi passenger vehicle. It has only revealed the interior of this vehicle for now,  saying that it wants to keep its particular propulsion system configuration to itself until a later date. However, Bell has also been working on its FCX-001 concept private passenger helicopter, which is similarly designed for vertical flight by utilizing hybridized propulsion, shape-shifting rotor blades, gull-wing doors, and augmented reality in the cockpit to control the aircraft. Bell is one of the companies working with Uber to develop its on-demand eVTOL network.

The Bell Air Taxi interior concept

The Bell FCX-001 Concept Helicopter

Why it’s Important:
While the Bell V-247 is obviously not designed for urban mobility, the VTOL structural, electrical, and aerodynamic components are similarly relevant to flying cars. Large companies like Bell putting their money into these technologies will make the development of these vehicles more prevalent and rapid. Throughout history, many of the greatest technological innovations have been the result of military research. The development of VTOLs for public use may follow this path as well.