Comments by "n" (@user-pq4by2rq9y) on "Bell V-280 Valor - What's the big deal anyway? | BLACKHAWK REPLACEMENT" video.

@fire304 to be fair, the air force did ground their entire fleet not long ago. I don't know... tilting engines in a VTOL just feels like asking for trouble.
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There is a heli scout program whose bids resemble more the capabilities of the apache, so both aircraft should complement each other while the valor should be more focused on transport (as requested by the army, as I have heard).
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People think of this like an helicopter with wings when they really should be thinking of an vtol turboprop. You can mount a modified 20mm vulcan inside, some hellfires on the wings, and have it perform the same duties as a ac-130 at a reduced capacity but with better accuracy because you can tilt the rotor to generate lift at low speeds. It also does not tilt the engine which makes the flight more predictable and a little safer because you don't have that hot air coming back to the rotors and maintenance is a little easier when compared to the osprey. It has a better acoustic signature, giving a little less time for the enemy to act and can fly on a single engine with the same range, so theoretically you could fly back to base if hit by a manpad. Having the engines so far from each other ensures you aren't disabling both at the same time. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe many of those manpads use heat to find its target, increasing the likelihood of an engine hit over anything else. About the defiant, compound helicopters produce a lot of vibration and with another set of blades and a propeller, I can see the transmission being munched over time. But I am just a dude on YouTube so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
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@acarrillo8277 Just to add a bit of context, the S-97 Raider isn't the Defiant X, not even close. It is a small, single engine aircraft designed as Scout Helicopter that can convert its internal weapons bay to carry 6 troops in a pinch, but NOT intended to lift cargo (hence why the single engine). As far as I am aware, the Raider prototype has been flying for some time while the Defiant had a troubled history. Probably because the Defiant introduces way more vibration with its second engine but who knows for sure. The Raider is intended for FARA while the Defiant is Sikorsky's bid for FLRAA (blackhawk's replacement, essentially). Just as the Valor won against the Defiant, don't be surprised if the Raider wins against the Invictus, because it can do what the Bell 360 can do with only a single engine. Obs.: for those complaining about the Valor's footprint, well, the Raider has some transport capability and its footprint is closer to a Killer Egg than a Blackhawk. Assuming that nothing goes wrong with it, Valor/Raider combo offers some serious flexibility.
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@fire304 fair enough. Still, I hope Bell managed to work out that unknown issue for the Valor. Not that both aircraft are that comparable since the V-280 has similar engines but weighs half as much as the V-22. I hope it does well because I want to see quad tiltrotors become a thing some day.
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