MV-75 Cheyenne gains Soldier insights during sixth Special User Evaluation

By Omar Barrett, MV-75 Cheyenne Acquisition Systems Management REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. —Aviators from the Operational Development Team (ODT) and Soldiers…

By Omar Barrett, MV-75 Cheyenne Acquisition Systems ManagementREDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. —Aviators from the Operational Development Team (ODT) and Soldiers… REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. —Aviators from the Operational Development Team (ODT) and Soldiers representing the National Guard State Army Aviation Office (SAAO) Advisory Council Working Group participated in the sixth MV-75 Cheyenne Special User Evaluation (SUE) Aug. 24–28, 2026. The evaluation placed operational users directly into the aircraft-development process, giving pilots, crew chiefs, and maintainers an opportunity to assess the MV-75 Cheyenne and provide feedback based on real-world aviation experience. Their input helps the program connect engineering decisions with the demands of combat and domestic flight operations. At the beginning of the evaluation participants built a shared understanding of the current MV-75 Cheyenne program baseline.

The program provided “MV-75 Cheyenne 101” instruction through The Army Acquisition School, tiltrotor familiarization with the MV-75 prototype, and cockpit familiarization at the Advanced Prototyping Engineering and Experimentation (APEX) Laboratory and the Army Flight Test Directorate (AFTD). This structured approach connected frontline aviation expertise with emerging platform systems, accelerated operational readiness, and gave engineers timely, actionable feedback. The ODT represents operational aviators at key program milestones, including SUEs, to ensure Soldiers help shape the aircraft’s final design. At Fort Rucker, the team uses virtual prototypes and lessons learned from joint-service V-22 Osprey operations to build tiltrotor expertise,