On 7 September, the Sikorsky-Boeing team released the following statement on the early submittal of the proposal for DEFIANT X™ for the U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).
According to media release, 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 U.S. 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 U.S. Army’s FLRAA competition, offering low-risk, transformational capability that delivers on an Army critical modernization priority and advances the future of Army aviation. DEFIANT X delivers speed where it matters, survivability, unsurpassed power, maneuverability, 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 longstanding Army industrial base suppliers, is the best choice for delivering overmatch on the Multi-Domain Operational battlefield in INDOPACOM and across the globe.”
The Defiant X is an agile, maneuverable weapon system that flies twice as far and twice as fast as the Black Hawk — and fits in the same operational footprint. The new helicopter developing as a replacement for the service’s venerable UH-60.
Sikorsky says Defiant X will revolutionize the way the Army meets threats in 2035 and beyond.
As noted by the company, Defiant X is the best solution for the Army’s mission today, and the only solution able to adapt to the threats of tomorrow.