The U.S. Army announced that the Sikorsky-Boeing team has been selected to move forward in the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft’s Competitive Demonstration and Risk Reduction Program (CD&RR) program.
Sikorsky is partnered with Boeing on the SB>1 DEFIANT program in order to meet the demands of the Army’s future vertical lift mission. DEFIANT is highly maneuverable and will extend the warfighter’s capabilities on the modern battlefield – and fits in the same footprint as a Black Hawk.
DEFIANT builds on Sikorsky’s foundational X2 Technology which integrates coaxial rotors, fly-by-wire flight controls and a propulsion system to redefine the attributes and abilities of a typical helicopter.
SB>1 DEFIANT™ in action
Sikorsky and Boeing have purposely carried out a rigorous flight test plan with DEFIANT. The flight test program includes thousands of hours in integrated test labs, component development and the propulsion system test bed.
This approach has allowed the team to strategically expand the envelope in flight test and prove out each element of the technology. Each hour of test, even on the ground, helps to inform the next.
SB>1 DEFIANT™
DEFIANT recently flew in a demonstration for Senator Tammy Duckworth and Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy. During that flight DEFIANT hit 140 knots and 45-degree angle-of-bank turns. The aircraft will continue to expand the envelope in flight test throughout the rest of the year.
The SB>1 DEFIANT team is prepared to provide an affordable and sustainable solution to give the Army mission advantage on the highly contested battlefield of the future.
Effort sponsored by the U.S. Government under Other Transaction number W9124P-19-9-0001 between AMTC and the Government. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon.
The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government.