20 October 2020

Update: AUSA 2020: Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 Defiant reaches 211 knots

by Pat Host

The Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 Defiant coaxial helicopter on 12 October reached 211 kt in straight and level flight and 232 kt in a descent with about two-thirds propeller torque and engine power, the companies announced during the Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA’s) annual trade show.

Andy Adams, Sikorsky’s vice president for Future Vertical Lift (FVL), said in a 14 October statement that Sikorsky-Boeing plans continued flight testing and refining the Defiant’s designs to specifically match the US Army’s requirements. The SB>1 Defiant now has 23 flight hours, 138 hours on the propulsion system test bed (PSTB), and 1,500 systems integration lab hours.

The SB>1 Defiant on 12 October reached 211 kt in straight and level flight and 232 kt in a descent with about two-thirds propeller torque and engine power. The aircraft is being developed for the US Army’s FLRAA effort. (Sikorsky-Boeing)

The Defiant on 9 June reached 205 kt in flight while using less than 50% of the installed propeller power. Sikorsky-Boeing said on 16 June that it hoped to exceed 250 kt in the upcoming months. The aircraft is designed to achieve a minimum of 230 kt in flight.

Jay Macklin, Sikorsky’s FVL business development director, told Janes on 16 October that Sikorsky-Boeing is focusing its envelope expansion on multiple aspects: manoeuvrability, speed, and, in particular, low-level, high-speed handling qualities. The team is seeing exactly the performance that its analytical tools predicted, he said.

The Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 Defiant coaxial helicopter on 12 October reached 211 kt in straight and lev...

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