Sikorsky-Boeing’s Team DEFIANT has delivered their FLRAA (Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft) proposal early to the US Army.
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Press Release, West Palm Beach, 07 September 2021: Today the Sikorsky-Boeing team released the following statement on the early submittal of the proposal for DEFIANT X for the US Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).
This statement can be attributed to Paul Lemmo, president, Sikorsky, and to Mark Cherry, vice president and general manager, Vertical Lift, Boeing Defense, Space & Security:-
“Continuing a 75-year partnership with the US Army, providing and sustaining the iconic BLACK HAWK, Chinook and Apache, the Sikorsky-Boeing team looks to the future with the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft – DEFIANT X. Today, Team DEFIANT completed and submitted the proposal for the US Army’s FLRAA competition, offering low-risk, transformational capability that delivers on an Army critical modernisation priority and advances the future of Army aviation. DEFIANT X delivers speed where it matters, survivability, unsurpassed power, manoeuvrability, superior handling in any environment and lower lifecycle costs – while operating in the same footprint as the BLACK HAWK. We are confident that DEFIANT X, supported by our long-standing Army industrial base suppliers, is the best choice for delivering overmatch on the Multi-Domain Operational battlefield in INDOPACOM and across the globe.”
Additional background:-
- The Sikorsky-Boeing team continues to conduct flight tests and expand SB>1 DEFIANT’s flight envelope. This test data is correlating the DEFIANT X virtual models and was included in our proposal to the US Army.
- Together, Sikorsky and Boeing, supported by a nationwide Army industrial base of suppliers, have more than 20 million Army flight hours of proven performance over the last 75 years. We are committed to delivering a weapon system that delivers transformational capability and affordability across the entire system, over the full lifecycle – including efficient sustainment, reuse of military construction and minimised training time and costs.
- We’ve designed-in affordability through ease of maintenance, reliability and advanced manufacturing techniques. Our investments in digital transformation, configuration design and aircraft sizing have driven a best-value solution for the Army. DEFIANT X has the same operational footprint as the BLACK HAWK allowing the Army to leverage existing operations, airfield configurations and hangars, avoiding costly infrastructure investment. And because our configuration flies like a helicopter with enhanced capabilities, training pilots is similar to the training that exists in the Army today.
- Our digital design and advanced manufacturing enables the Army to lower cost across the entire lifecycle of the platform – including fleet management affordability and efficiency and rapid, affordable upgrades.
- DEFIANT X is designed for fleet reliability and availability, including long maintenance-free operating periods, real-time vehicle heath management and fewer parts.
- Our open system approach allows the Army to easily modernise DEFIANT X over time, providing the flexibility and adaptability needed to stay ahead of the evolving threat as missions and conditions change.
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