FVL: Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant Hits 235 MPH, Aims For 288
Despite COVID-19, the SB>1 Defiant team is testing furiously to catch up with archrival Bell’s V-280 tiltrotor, which has almost 10 times as many flight hours.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on June 16, 2020 at 4:57 PM
WASHINGTON: The SB>1 Defiant compound helicopter reached 205 knots (235.9 mph) in a flight test last week, and it did so while running its engine at less than half power, Sikorsky test pilot Bill Fell said this morning. Once ground testing this summer confirms all systems are ready – and one such test was audibly whirring in the background as Fell spoke with reporters this morning – the aircraft will ramp up to full power over time, reaching a projected 250 knots (287.7 mph) “within a few months.â€
By comparison, the UH-60 Black Hawk that Defiant is vying to replace maxes out at 193 knots (222 mph). So Defiant, a joint Sikorsky-Boeing product, is already faster than the Army’s current helicopters. But it’s not faster than Bell’s competing proposal for a Black Hawk replacement, the V-280 Valor, which has already exceeded the 280 knot (322 mph) goal for which it’s named.
https://breakingdefense.com/2020/06/fvl-sikorsky-boeing-defiant-hits-235-mph-aims-for
