eet the newly revealed #DEFIANTX
Lockheed Martin-owned Sikorsky and Boeing have pitched a tweaked version of the team’s coaxial technology demonstrator — the SB-1 Defiant — which it plans to submit for the U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault (FLRAA) competition, according to the companies.
The modified, competition-ready aircraft design is being called Defiant X, taking the same surname as little brother Raider X, which is Lockheed’s submission for the Army’s other helicopter competition — the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program — running nearly in parallel.
Both aircraft build off and scale up from Sikorsky’s X2 demonstrator which flew for the first time in 2008.
Lockheed Martin came out with Raider X roughly two years ago at the Association of the U.S Army’s annual trade show. “One thing that always comes out is the importance of this aircraft at the X,” Tim Malia, Sikorsky’s FARA director, said at the time. “The ‘X’ is defined by the Army as the terminal area where they actually have to go do the work, do the reconnaissance, do the attack mission. The operation at the X is really critical for this program and for this platform.”
And according to the Lockheed-Boeing team, it’s no different with Defiant.
#DEFIANTX will be the fastest, most maneuverable and most survivable assault aircraft in history—all to advance @FVLCFT. #FVL@Sikorsky 🤝 Boeing pic.twitter.com/1RjiSwcjei
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) January 25, 2021
