Sikorsky, Boeing Unveil New Utility Helicopter SB-1 Defiant

Sikorsky and Boeing have unveiled a new military utility helicopter, SB-1 Defiant, developed for the United States (US) Army’s Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator program.

The Defiant marks Sikorsky Aircraft and Boeing’s entry for the US Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, succeeding the JMR initiative. The aircraft draws heavily from previous work at Sikorsky on the X2and S-97 Raider designs.. Features of the helicopter include active vibration control, a rigid rotor system, pusher prop, fly-by-wire flight controls and composite fuselage, Lockheed Martin and Boeing said in a joint statement Wednesday.  

The helicopter will fall in the 30,000-pound weight class, has room for a four-person crew, and a cabin capable of carrying 12 combat-equipped troops. The SB-1 Defiant demonstrator is expected to fly for the first time in 2019.