The Army has named its new tilt-rotor assault aircraft the Cheyenne II in honor of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana and the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma.
The MV-75 Cheyenne II continues the tradition of naming Army helicopters after American Indian tribes and leaders, like the AH-64 Apache and the UH-60 Black Hawk.
Bell Textron Inc. developed the MV-75 as its proposal for the Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft project. It lifts off vertically like a helicopter, then tilts its rotors to fly like an airplane for superior speed and range.
The name for the new aircraft was announced on Wednesday at the Army Aviation Association of America’s annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee. At about 300 mph, the Cheyenne II can fly twice as fast as the current Black Hawk fleet.
“This aircraft will revolutionize how the Army fights and wins, delivering unmatched capabilities to the Joint Force and ensuring we maintain a decisive advantage on the battlefield,” said Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commander of Fort Rucker, Alabama, known as the home of Army aviation.
Officials said the MV-75 provides commanders with rapid options to mass combat power while reducing exposure in contested environments.
“In naming the MV-75 Cheyenne II, we honor the enduring contributions of the Cheyenne people to our nation — both their distinguished service in uniform and their legacy as steadfast protectors of their way of life,” said Col. Jeffrey Poquette, project manager for the FLRAA program. “It is a name that pays tribute to an indomitable warrior spirit and signals a decisive step forward for Army aviation.”
The name was previously used in the late 1960s for the AH-56 Cheyenne, a high-speed attack helicopter. The Army canceled it in August 1972 as American involvement in the Vietnam War was winding down.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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