Bell Helicopter says its V-280 Valor offers today's military a smaller, lighter, cheaper, and potentially more versatile spin on the tilt-rotor concept.

Bell unveiled the V-tailed aircraft, which looks straight out of Halo, last week at the Farnborough International Airshow. It designed the machine for the US Army, which is looking to replace its venerable and menacing UH-60 Black Hawk with a next-gen vertical-lift darling of Army aviation.

So while it's no direct threat to the Osprey, the Marines might soon envy their colleagues. For less than a third the price of each $70 million Osprey, the Army will get nearly the same performance, along with a slew of benefits any military operation would savor.