In early January 2019, Sikorsky and Boeing unveiled a first glimpse of the SB> 1 DEFIANT, a vertical lift aircraft being developed for the US Army’s joint multi-role (JMR) technology demonstration of the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme.
The SB> 1 DEFIANT is designed to fly twice the speed and twice the range of the helicopters currently in service. According to the manufacturers, the SB> 1 DEFIANT data will allow the Army to assess its needs for new transport helicopters for commissioning in the early 2030s. The first flight of the SB>1, equipped with a Honeywell T55 engine, is expected in 2019.
