Maiden Flight of Sikorsky-Boeing's Defiant Helicopter: Possibly Replace Black Hawk
Several companies are developing helicopters that could replace the U.S. Army’s
aging Black Hawk fleet in the coming decades. One of those futuristic aircrafts,
Sikorsky-Boeing’s Defiant, took its
first test flight two weeks ago.
The Defiant is based on Sikorsky’s experimental X2 technology, which holds the record for being the f
astest helicopter technology in the world. A demonstration craft reached 435 km/h in 2010, beating the 1986 record of 400 km/h by the
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.
“The Defiant design represents a leap forward in vertical lift technology,” says
Boeing spokesperson Randy Rotte. “While it can fly at nearly twice the speed and has twice the range of conventional helicopters, it retains the very best, if not better low-speed and hover performance of conventional helicopters.” The Black Hawk has a top speed of about 290 km/h and combat range of 580 km.The craft’s unconventional design consists of dual coaxial main rotors—two rigid rotors that spin around the same axis in opposite directions—and a push propeller in the rear.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/...r-first-flight