The US Army has picked designs from Bell Helicopter and a Sikorsky/Boeing team to continue development of Joint Multi-Role (JMR) high-speed rotorcraft designs, building technology demonstration (TD) aircraft with flight tests starting in 2017.
The two prototype aircraft will be built and flown as part of the JMR Technology Demonstrator Air Vehicle effort, which will inform the Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme to replace the long-serving Sikorsky UH-60 BLACK HAWK and Boeing AH-64E APACHE. The FVL programme will also inform the US Navy’s MH-XX programme to replace the MH-60 SEAHAWK.
Two other teams led by Karem Aircraft and AVX Aircraft were not selected for continued development, but the service is still interested in their technologies.
The Sikorsky-Boeing entry, called the SB-1 DEFIANT, is a compound helicopter design with co-axial rotors and a pusher-propeller. The aircraft is based on Sikorsky’s X-2 design that was designed to overcome the 200kt speed limit of most helicopters as a result of a phenomenon called the dissymmetry of lift.
The Bell Helicopter design, which is called the V-280 VALOR, is an advanced tilt-rotor design that is based upon technology similar to the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey. The new tilt-rotor is smaller, faster and much more manoeuvrable than the Osprey and has a top speed of over 300 knots.
The two prototype aircraft will be built and flown as part of the JMR Technology Demonstrator Air Vehicle effort, which will inform the Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme to replace the long-serving Sikorsky UH-60 BLACK HAWK and Boeing AH-64E APACHE. The FVL programme will also inform the US Navy’s MH-XX programme to replace the MH-60 SEAHAWK.
Two other teams led by Karem Aircraft and AVX Aircraft were not selected for continued development, but the service is still interested in their technologies.
The Sikorsky-Boeing entry, called the SB-1 DEFIANT, is a compound helicopter design with co-axial rotors and a pusher-propeller. The aircraft is based on Sikorsky’s X-2 design that was designed to overcome the 200kt speed limit of most helicopters as a result of a phenomenon called the dissymmetry of lift.
The Bell Helicopter design, which is called the V-280 VALOR, is an advanced tilt-rotor design that is based upon technology similar to the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey. The new tilt-rotor is smaller, faster and much more manoeuvrable than the Osprey and has a top speed of over 300 knots.