Defiant team claims ‘significant milestone’
The SB>1 Defiant helicopter, pictured during its recent lift demonstration flight. (Photo: Sikorsky-Boeing)
Sikorsky-Boeing technology demonstrator demonstrated lifting capability in mid-July flight.
The Sikorsky-Boeing team behind the SB>1 Defiant announced on 22 July that they have completed a ‘significant milestone’ that validates the mission-relevant lifting capability of the co-axial helicopter.
A mid-July demonstration flight at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, involved a 5,300lb (2,400kg) Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System training load.
The lifting power demonstrated by Defiant ‘equates to an Infantry Squad Vehicle or hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition’ for resupply, the development team claimed.
Defiant X (developed from the SB>1 Defiant technology demonstrator) is a candidate solution for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition, in which the US Army seeks Future Vertical Lift aircraft to replace its AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and UH-60 Black Hawk utility platforms.
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