Bell Helicopter has completed the first test flight of its next-generation tiltrotor aircraft in Amarillo.

Bell recently posted a Facebook video of Monday’s maiden flight of the V-280 Valor, a fixed-wing aircraft with rotors that are positioned like helicopter blades to take off and hover, then swivel down to become propellers.

The video shows the demonstrator aircraft lifting off and hovering in place, low to the ground for about 30 seconds before the video ends. The V-280 "performed flawlessly and the team is currently assessing all data from the first flight and will schedule another accordingly," a Bell spokeswoman said.

The aircraft, which resembles Bell’s V-22 Osprey that is assembled in Amarillo, is hoped to help net a huge contract for Bell to replace the military’s aging fleet of helicopters with something that has more speed and range.

Bell is going up against Sikorsky-Boeing in a U.S. Army program to create demonstrator aircraft that could become the basis of the Department of Defense’s sweeping Future Vertical Lift initiative — an estimated $100 billion program to replace up to 4,000 aircraft.

In a news release, Bell said the flight was a milestone that represents "exceptional progress" on development.

"This is an exciting time for Bell Helicopter, and I could not be more proud of the progress we have made with first flight of the Bell V-280," Bell president and chief executive Mitch Snyder said in a statement.

"First flight demonstrates our commitment to supporting Department of Defense leadership’s modernization priorities and acquisition reform initiatives. The Valor is designed to revolutionize vertical lift for the U.S. Army and represents a transformational aircraft for all the challenging missions our armed forces are asked to undertake."

Sikorsky-Boeing is developing the SB-1 Defiant, an aircraft that looks more like a traditional helicopter but with a rear-mounted propeller for extra thrust.

Both prototypes have lagged behind an originally announced goal of a September first flight, but the Defiant still isn’t expected to make its first flight until the first half of next year, according to Defense News, a trade publication.

The V-280 is designed to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk medium-lift helicopter and AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.

In comparison to the iconic Black Hawk, the V-280 can go nearly twice as fast and has a range of between 500 to 800 miles compared to the Black Hawk’s 360 miles. It is also bigger, able to hold a crew of four and up to 14 troops. The Black Hawk, in comparison, can only hold a crew of four and 11 troops.

The V-280’s sister, the V-22, has mostly been sold to the Marines. In August, a V-22 crashed off the coast of Australia and killed three Marines.

Bell hopes to also sell the V-280 to the Army, a much bigger buyer

The V-280 incorporates some design lessons learned from the V-22 to try and make it more attractive for the Army, including a new engine configuration to allow for a side-loading door and door gunner.

The success of the V-280 could bring new work for Bell, which already assembles the V-22 in Amarillo and is one of the city’s biggest employers. The company in the middle of this year had about 800 employees in Amarillo with an additional 230 contracted workers, a Bell spokeswoman said.

The Army has said it expects to begin production of next-generation vertical lift aircraft in 2030, but Bell has said it could start before then.