FLRAA Designs Fly Twice as Fast, Twice as Far as Black Hawk Written 16 March 2021
A V-280 Valor prototype takes flight at the 2019 Alliance Air Show in Fort Worth, TX | Credit: Danazar/Wikipedia; CC BY-SA 4.0
Warrior Maven reports that Bell and Sikorsky-Boeing are both developing different designs for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, and both designs are currently able to fly “twice as fast” and “twice as far” as a Black Hawk, which can reach speeds of 150mph. The designs “are considered compound configurations, engineered with an intent to engineer a new platform able to both hover and maneuver like a helicopter, yet also achieve airplane-like range and speed.” Bell’s design, known as the V-280 Valor, “relies upon what developers call a new generation of Osprey-like Tiltrotor technology which rotates dual rotors from a horizontal to vertical position depending upon ‘mode.’” Meanwhile, Sikorsky-Boeing’s design, known as the Defiant X, “brings coaxial rotor system technology to new level.”
Full Story (Warrior Maven)