30 aircraft carrying 360 soldiers lift into the air and disappear into the night they fly low
and fast group in six formations the mission is to secure a sensitive infrastructure complex deep in
enemy territory to get to the landing zone they will have to fly twice the length of new jersey
through a web of enemy air defense once at the landing zone soldiers will travel on foot
the helicopters weave through tree lines a valley then over a riverbed too low to show up on radar
and too fast for adversaries to even get a shot off the last mile of flight is the most dangerous
the landing zone is surrounded by hostile forces pilots must maneuver the aircraft
on the spot to land quickly and smoothly and then get out the second soldiers disembark
speed reach and maneuverability are critical to mission success and to ensure everyone comes home
it appears a solution to the army's needs already exists in the form of the sikorsky
boeing defiant x as the fastest most maneuverable and most survivable assault helicopter in history
the design is based on the sb1 tech demonstrator aircraft jointly built by the two companies in
recent years defiant x is an advanced utility helicopter and air assault weapon system that
can fly low and fast land quickly deliver soldiers to the objective area known as the x and get out
all while evading the enemy in complex terrain it will revolutionize the army's air assault
capability and be the fastest most maneuverable and most survivable military helicopter in history
the lockheed martin-owned sikorsky and boeing have rolled out the final specs of their new helicopter
one of two candidates that will replace the us army's iconic uh-60 blackhawk
the defiant x isn't just meant to replace the black hawk but also fly up to twice as
fast and twice as far giving army air assault forces and unparalleled battlefield mobility
the defiant x says sikorsky boeing's entry into the army's future long-range assault
aircraft or flraa program which aims to replace the blackhawks that were introduced into army
service in the early 1980s although the uh-60 has been a reliable workhorse and
regularly updated with new tech the army believes it's time for a new clean sheet
aircraft that can take advantage of the last 40 years of aircraft research and development
defiant x is an outgrowth of the sb1 defiant technology demonstrator helicopter which hit
238 miles per hour in tests and was reported to crush 288 miles per hour as its next milestone
meanwhile the most common version of the uh-60 blackhawk the uh-60m has a cruise speed of 172
miles per hour sikorsky doesn't mention a top speed for defiant x but does say it will fly
twice as fast as the black hawk that implies a top speed of at least 340 miles per hour
defiant x achieves this level of speed through the use of two sets of coaxial propellers
this arrangement stabilizes the aircraft while leaving the tail section
typically reserved for a stabilizing tail rotor open for other uses the new
helo uses the extra space to include a push propeller giving it a second source of thrust
defiant x also cuts a more streamlined form than the black hawk retracting its landing gear
in flight to eliminate parasitic drag the new helicopter also features fly by wire controls
these turn the pilots physical movements into electrical signals that are fed into the flight
computer which then interprets the movements into commands to the flight control surfaces
it helps to eliminate the cables and pulleys associated with traditional controls
which could be damaged by enemy fire and result in a loss of aircraft control
sikorsky claims defiant x also has a number of other features
the helicopter has a reduced thermal signature to keep it off enemy infrared sensors and reduce its
vulnerability to shoulder-fired infrared guided missiles company image of the defiant x carrying
an underslung m777 towed howitzer hints at a greater lifting capability the 9 300 pound m
triple 7 is just out of the blackhawks sling load capability finally sikorsky says the helicopter is
much more agile than past helicopters allowing it to fly low across forests and other uneven terrain
particularly the mega cities the army believes will become the battlefields of the future
medium transport helicopters in the defiant x's weight class are typically armed with a pair
of door mounted 7.62 millimeter machine guns giving them a limited self escort capability
they've done a phenomenal job i mean just look at the aircraft it looks spectacular
so
you