Boeing and Sikorsky Name New Rotorcraft

Sikorsky and Boeing have chosen the name Defiant for the Joint Multi Role - Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) that the two companies will build for the U.S. Army's Future Vertical Lift program. The announcement was made at the Association of the US Army annual convention in Washington. The Defiant is expected to fly in 2017. The joint Defiant team will remain separate from the Sikorsky-led team of partners and subcontractors which is already building the smaller S-97 Raider demonstrator, based on the same X2 concept with coaxial four-blade rigid rotors and a pusher propeller. The Raider is expected to fly next year, and while it will provide data to the Defiant program, the companies are stressing the fact that the Defiant project will not take over Raider, and that the Defiant team will draw on both Boeing and Sikorsky resources. In fact, the companies say, the Defiant team has already introduced innovations into its interpretation of the X2 concept, based on technology from other Boeing and Sikorsky programs - however, no specific examples are being cited, because of competitive issues.