Design Phase Will Reduce Risk For Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft Program

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.

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 testing and prove out each element of the technology. Each hour of testing, even on the ground, helps to inform the next.

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.

(Image provided with Lockheed Martin news release)

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com