Competition Over Fastest Helicopter Gaining Momentum

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Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft will have to rapidly cover long distances at low altitude to evade Russian and Chinese-style anti-aircraft defenses. At those low altitudes, agility and keen sensors are equally important.

Compound helicopters are equipped with an auxiliary propulsion system which provides thrust in excess of that which the rotors alone could produce, thereby permitting increased forward speeds. One such aircraft has achieved high speed in a flight test. Sikorsky’s SB>1 Defiant compound helicopter has recently reached 205 knots (235.9 mph) while running its engine at less than half power.

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 US 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.

Sikorsky argues their compound helicopter technology is inherently more agile than Bell’s broad-winged tilt rotor design. The Defiant’s ultra-rigid coaxial rotors make it much more responsive to controls than traditional rotors, claims Sikorsky test pilot Bill Fell. Defiant’s pusher propeller can switch from providing high-speed thrust to acting as a giant brake, letting the aircraft dash past anti-aircraft batteries and then stop suddenly to land troops or hide behind a building. 

Once the Defiant’s ground testing this summer confirms all systems are ready the aircraft will ramp up to full power over time, reaching a projected 250 knots (287.7 mph) “within a few months,” according to breakingdefense.com.