Bell Completes First Two MV-75 Cheyenne Wing Structures

Bell Textron Inc. has completed the assembly of the first two wing structures for the U.S. Army MV-75 Cheyenne tiltrotor aircraft, advancing the manufacturing phase of the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program.

In a press release issued on June 11, 2026, the Textron Inc. company announced that these wings will be integrated into the first two MV-75 test aircraft. This milestone moves the program closer to its flight test phase as the U.S. Army prepares to replace a portion of its Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk fleet.

Manufacturing efficiencies and labor reductions

The fabrication of the first MV-75 wing, completed in February 2026, achieved a 90 percent reduction in labor hours compared to the initial wing build for the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. The production of the second wing yielded an additional 40 percent reduction in labor hours compared to the first.

“After decades of building V-22 wings, we’ve learned new ways to do things better, faster and smarter by implementing these lessons into the design upfront,”

said Culley Shafer, Bell Director of Operations in Amarillo, Texas. Shafer noted that the assembly line continues to evolve as systems content is populated into the wings, establishing a foundation for future production.

Program timeline and facility expansion

The U.S. Army awarded the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) contract to Bell in December 2022. On April 15, 2026, the Army officially designated the aircraft as the MV-75 Cheyenne II, honoring the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes. The “MV” prefix designates a multi-mission vertical takeoff aircraft, while the “75” commemorates the founding of the U.S. Army in 1775.

To support the manufacturing phase, Bell opened the MV-75 Cheyenne Wichita Assembly Center in Wichita, Kansas, on April 27, 2026. This facility is dedicated to fuselage assembly, complementing the company headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, and its operations center in Amarillo.

AirPro News analysis

We view the dramatic reduction in labor hours between the V-22 and the MV-75 as a strong indicator of Bell’s maturation in tiltrotor manufacturing. Achieving a 90 percent efficiency gain on the first article demonstrates the value of digital engineering and lessons learned from the Osprey program. The subsequent 40 percent reduction on the second wing suggests a steep learning curve that could favorably impact unit costs as the Cheyenne enters low-rate initial production.

Sources: Bell Textron Inc.