Noneo wrote:
I have to believe Sikorsky has already told the Army that their demonstrators can't pull high g maneuvers. But that they will increase rotor spacing for production. Which will make a slow, tall Defiant even slower and taller.
You are correct in identifying one of the few performance points the 97/SB-1 programs demonstrated which was the ability of the rotors to collide in moderate roll reversals. You are, however, naive in thinking the SB team will admit this concept flaw. They will instead hide behind a claim that a simple tweak to the fly-by-wire control laws has eliminated the chance of this flaw reoccurring. Only after the loss of a couple more aircraft will they propose changing rotor separation.