Bell V-280 Valor
The Bell V-280 Valor is a third-generation tilt-rotor aircraft being developed by Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin for the United States Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program. The aircraft was officially unveiled at the 2013 Army Aviation Association of America's (AAAA) Annual Professional Forum and Exposition in Fort Worth, Texas, with a projected first flight in 2017.
On 5 June 2013, Bell announced that the V-280 Valor design had been selected by the US Army for the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator (TD) phase. The JMR-TD phase is the technology demonstration precursor to Future Vertical Lift (FVL). The army classified the offering as a Category I proposal, meaning it is a well-conceived, scientifically or technically sound proposal pertinent to program goals and objectives with applicability to army mission needs, offered by a responsible contractor with the competent scientific and technical staff supporting resources required to achieve results. JMR-TD contracts were expected to be awarded in September 2013, with flights scheduled for 2017.
On September 9th of 2013, Bell announced it would team up with Lockheed Martin to develop the V-280. Lockheed will provide integrated avionics, sensors, and weapons to the aircraft. Additional partners were announced in the following months, including Moog Inc. for the flight control systems, GE Aviation for the engines, GKN for the tail structure, Spirit AeroSystems for the composite fuselage, Eaton Corporation as the distributor of hydraulics and power generation systems, and Astronics Advanced Electric Systems to design and manufacture power distribution systems. Israel Aerospace Industries, the first international partner recruited for the V-280, will supply the nacelle structures, and Textron sister company TRU Simulation & Training will build a high-fidelity marketing simulator and desktop maintenance trainer.
Sikorsky S-97 Raider
The Sikorsky S-97 Raider is a proposed high-speed scout and attack compound helicopter based on the Advancing Blade Concept (ABC), under development by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky planned to offer it for the United States Army's Armed Aerial Scout program, along with other possible uses. The S-97 made its maiden flight on 22 May 2015.
The first flight of the S-97 occurred on 22 May 2015. It flew for 1 hour instead of the 30 minutes scheduled, completing three takeoffs and landings; forward, rearward and sideward. For this initial flight, the Raider was flown with its triplex fly-by-wire flight control system in backup degraded mode so as to focus on basic airworthiness in the low-speed regime. The flight begins a year-long test program of about 100 flight-hours to expand the flight envelope to meet Sikorsky’s key targets of 220-knot cruise speed carrying weapons, hover at 6,000 feet on a 95F day and 3g maneuverability at speed. Toward the end of Phase 1 testing, software will be upgraded to Block 2, bringing in the propulsor and articulating tail to increase speed and enable the full flight envelope.
The second prototype (P2) was displayed to the public in October 2015. After two flight hours and a few months of testbench validation of the propulsion drivetrain, P1 is scheduled for higher speed around 2016.
The S-97 design includes variable speed[3] rigid coaxial main rotors and a variable-pitch pusher propeller,[7][31] making the S-97 a compound helicopter. Like the X2, it has fly-by-wire control and dynamic anti-vibration actuators to cancel out shaking. The main rotors have hingeless hubs and stiff blades, to improve low-speed handling and efficiency of hover. At high speeds, the close spacing of the hubs reduces drag.[3] The stiff blades allow each rotor to have low lift on the retreating side of its rotor disk (reducing drag), whereas each rotor on a conventional coaxial rotor with "floppy" blades needs nearly equal lift distribution. The propeller relieves the rotor of propulsion, further reducing drag.[32]
Maneuverability is improved compared with earlier helicopters because of the ability to tilt the coaxial rotors together or tilt each one differently, and because of the variable pitch propulsor and active elevons[clarification needed].[31] At low speed the S-97 maneuvers by differential torque of the upper and lower rotor, at high speed it uses rudders.[33]
The S-97 will be capable of carrying up to six passengers, in addition to a flight crew of two in a side-by-side cockpit.[7] However, the production S-97 is projected to be capable of flying with either one or two pilots, or autonomously.[5] Space for a targeting sensor has been reserved, however it will not be installed in the prototype aircraft.[5]
Based on the technology from the Sikorsky X2 demonstrator, the prototype S-97s will be powered by a General Electric YT706 turboshaft (the same engine used on the UH-60M Black Hawk).
