Sikorsky Set To Fly Second Rotor-Blown Wing Design

NASHVILLE—Sikorsky plans to fly a Group 3 design of its Rotor Blown Wing next month as the company targets U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Navy programs plus international interest in the concept.

Sikorsky has been flying its first 115-lb. RBW demonstrator about once per month as it looks to scale it up to a Group 4 size. The company’s slightly larger Group 3 design it began under a DARPA program will fly soon and Sikorsky expects that design to fly about once per month to mature the concept.

Sikorsky was one of six companies downselected for Phase 1B of DARPA’s Advanced Aircraft Infrastructure-less Launch and Recovery program. The RBW design is a tail-sitting aircraft that takes off vertically and can tip over to operate as a flying wing.

“We’re finishing that one up and it will be flying here next month,” says Ramsey Bentley, the director of Sikorsky’s Advanced Concepts and Innovations.

The company has submitted proposals based on its RBW for “multiple programs,” though he did not specify which exact ones, Bentley told reporters on the sidelines of the Army Aviation Association of America conference here. The three U.S. services are potential customers, with the Army for example looking to field similar systems as part of Short, Medium and Long Range Reconnaissance programs.

The Marine Corps is looking for autonomous aircraft for supply from ships as part of its Aerial Logistics Connector. Bentley says the RBW design is ideal for operating from ships with small decks, such as Navy frigates and destroyers.

Outside the U.S., Sikorsky has also responded to an international solicitation, though Bentley would not identify the country. The concept has also received interest for commercial use, such as operating on oil rigs or assisting in responding to natural disasters.