Bell Boeing Quad TiltRotor The Bell Boeing Quad TiltRotor ( QTR ) is a proposed four - rotor derivative of the V - 22 Osprey tiltrotor developed jointly by Bell Helicopter and Boeing . The concept is a contender in the U . S . Army ' s Joint Heavy Lift program . It would have a cargo capacity roughly equivalent to the C - 130 Hercules , cruise at 250 knots , and land at unimproved sites vertically like a helicopter . Development . Background . Bell developed its model D - 322 as a quad tiltrotor concept in 1979 . The Bell Boeing team disclosed in 1999 a Quad TiltRotor design the companies had been investigating for the previous two years . The design was for a C - 130 - size V / STOL transport for the US Army ' s Future Transport Rotorcraft program and would have 50 % commonality with the V - 22 . This design was to have a maximum takeoff weight of with a payload of up to in a hover . The design was downsized to be more V - 22 - based and to have a payload of . This version was referred to as " V - 44 " . Bell received contracts to study related technologies in 2000 . Development was not pursued by the US Department of Defense . During 2000 - 06 , studies of the aerodynamics and performance of a Quad Tilt Rotor were conducted at the University of Maryland , College Park . This effort was initially funded by NASA / AFDD and subsequently by Bell . An experimental investigation in helicopter mode with ground effect found that it was possible to reduce the download on the aircraft from 10 % of the total thrust to an upload of 10 % of the thrust . A parallel Computational Fluid Dynamics ( CFD ) study confirmed these findings . Joint Heavy Lift studies . In September 2005 Bell and Boeing received a cost - sharing contract worth US $ 3 . 45 million from the U . S . Army ' s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate for an 18 - month conceptual design and analysis study lasting through March 2007 , in conjunction with the Joint Heavy Lift program . The contract was awarded to Bell Helicopter , which is teaming with Boeing ' s Phantom Works . The QTR study is one of five designs ; another of the five is also a Boeing program , an advanced version of the CH - 47 Chinook . During the initial baseline design study , Bell ' s engineers are designing the wing , engine and rotor , while the Boeing team is designing the fuselage and internal systems . A similar arrangement is used on the V - 22 . A one - fifth - scale wind tunnel model has undergone testing in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel ( a unique transonic wind tunnel ) at NASA ' s Langley Research Center during summer 2006 . The " semi - span " model ( representing the right half of the aircraft ) measured 213 inches in length and had powered 91 - inch rotors , operational nacelles , and " dynamically representative " wings . The primary test objective was to study the aeroelastic effects on the aft wing of the forward wing ' s rotors and establish a baseline aircraft configuration . Alan Ewing , Bell ' s QTR program manager , reported that " Testing showed those loads from that vortex on the rear rotor [ are the ] same as the loads we see on the front [ rotors ] , " and " Aeroelastic stability of the wing looks exactly the same as the conventional tiltrotor " . These tests used a model with a three - bladed rotor , future tests will explore the effects of using a four - bladed system . Besides the research performed jointly under the contract , Bell has funded additional research and wind tunnel testing in cooperation with NASA and the Army . After submission of initial concept study reports , testing of full - scale components and possibly a sub - scale vehicle test program was expected to begin . Pending approval , first flight of a full - scale prototype aircraft was slated for 2012 . The study was completed in May 2007 , with the Quad TiltRotor selected for further development . However , additional armor on Future Combat Systems manned ground vehicles caused their weight to increase from 20 tons to 27 tons , requiring a larger aircraft . In mid - 2008 , the U . S . Army continued the Joint Heavy Lift ( JHL ) studies with new contracts to the Bell - Boeing and Karem Aircraft / Lockheed Martin teams . The teams were to modify their designs to reach new JHL specifications . JHL became part of the new US Air Force / Army Joint Future Theater Lift ( JFTL ) program in 2008 . In mid - 2010 , the US DoD was formulating a vertical lift aircraft plan with JFTL as a part . The DoD also requested information from the aerospace industry on technologies for JFTL in October 2010 . Design . The conceptual design is for a large tandem wing aircraft with V - 22 type engines and 50 - foot rotors at each of the four wing tips . The C - 130 - size fuselage would have a 747 - inch - long cargo bay with a rear loading ramp that could carry 110 paratroopers or 150 standard - seating passengers . In cargo configuration , it would accommodate eight 463L pallet s . In addition to the baseline configuration , the Bell - Boeing team is including eight possible variants , or " excursion designs " , including a sea - based variant . The design team is planning on payloads ranging from 16 to 26 tons and a range of 420 to 1000 nmi . The baseline version includes a fully retractable refueling probe and an interconnecting drive system for power redundancy . One of the design excursions explored by the team , dubbed the " Big Boy " , would have 55 - foot rotors and an 815 - inch - long cargo bay , making it able to carry one additional 463L pallet and accommodate a Stryker armored combat vehicle .