Originally Posted by
admikar
Read the last part of my second sentence from the post you responded to……If there is only one existing operational tiltrotor, that's what we will use as a measuring tool…….And my post was in response to CTR who asked "why do tiltrotor bashers always compare it with conventional helicopter?….
admikar,
The one “operational” Tiltrotor you are referring (V-22) has flown over 700,000 flight hours in combat and severe environments. The smaller 609 commercial Tiltrotor in development has accumulated over 2,000 flight hours and with proportionally bigger rotors than the V-22 has proven safe autorotation landing. The XV-15 Tiltrotor that first flew in 1977 accumulated over 500 flight hours, and now resides in the Smithsonian air and space Museum at Udvar Hazey. Finally, the V-280 accumulated over 200 flight hours, meeting or exceeding all US Army specification requirements. The aircraft was only retired, because there was nothing left to test, and the government did not wish to pay for further testing.
All X-2 technology Sikorsky aircraft combined have at my best estimate less than 500 flight hours. This includes at best guess about 80 flight hours on the Defiant. Unlike, Bell, Sikorsky does not openly publish information on the progress of flight testing. Time of the award announcement, Defiant flight testing was still ongoing because it has not proven its capability to meet all US Army requirements.
Accumulated flights test and operational use data was used by the US Army to determine the potential risks in FLRAA development. This was a significant US Army “measuring tool”.
Please also reread my post you referenced. You will see that I stated the V-280 matches the lift capabilities of the Blackhawk.
“There are some missions where the aircraft capabilities overlap, and because of the V-280 increased size and power, the V-280 matches the and lift capability of a Blackhawk. But again, why would you want to waste an expensive asset like a tilt rotor to do a cargo job that can be done cheaper by a conventional Helicopter?”
I mentioned that there are good sources out there. They will help you understand why the V-280 was selected by the US Army over the Defiant. One is a podcast by
Aviation Week editors Steve Trimble, Brian Everstine and Graham Warwick;
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas...=1000589202664
The second is an article this morning in Drive:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...er-sb1-defiant