Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin
Defiant X uses a coaxial rotor system and push propeller to fly twice as fast as the Black Hawk.
The helicopter also uses other technologies to improve speed, range, and survivability.
The Lockheed Martin-owned Sikorsky and Boeing have rolled out the final specs of their new helicopter, one of two candidates that will replace the U.S. Army s iconic UH-60 Black Hawk. The Defiant X isn t just meant to replace the Black Hawk, but also fly up to twice as fast and twice as far, giving Army air assault forces an unparalleled battlefield mobility. Read This
The Defiant X is Sikorsky/Boeing’s entry into the Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program, which aims to replace the Black Hawks that were introduced into Army service in the early 1980s. Although the UH-60 has been a reliable workhorse and regularly updated with new tech, the Army believes it’s time for a new, clean-sheet aircraft that can take advantage of the last 40 years of a
The Bell V-280 tiltrotor recently completed successful external sling load sorties. (Photo: Bell)
The Bell V-280 tiltrotor was recently flown with a new tactical common data link (TCDL) and completed external sling load sorties. During initial TCDL demonstrations, information was successfully transmitted between the aircraft and the ground station including basic flight data such as airspeed, altitude, and attitude.
With on-board sensors and TCDL, the V-280 could provide targeting information to enhance the lethality of precision long-range weapons. The V-280 also transmitted data collected by the Lockheed Martin Pilotage Distributed Aperture Sensor (PDAS) System that has been flying on the aircraft for nearly a year. The live transmission included video of the sling load cargo, allowing pilots, crew, and supervisors to monitor it as if looking through the bottom of the aircraft, whether on-board or on the ground. “These new test milestones continue to bring proof that the V-280
A New Stealth Helicopter is On Its Way to the U.S. Army
Lockheed Sikorsky-Boeing’s SB Defiant has taken flight more recently than Textron-Bell’s 280 Valor, however both appear to be showing early promise.
Here s What You Need To Remember: The new aircraft will employ several measures designed to make it quieter, including, most notably, a counter-rotating rotor that muffles the sound of the first.
The Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft is slated to enter war by 2030, bringing what service developers say is more than twice the range and speed of existing utility and attack helicopters.
There are several vendors now competing as part of an intense Army competition to ultimately choose and deploy a new fleet of aircraft with a much greater combat radius, fuel efficiency, speed, weapons, sensors and computer systems.