NASA and the Navy are partners with the Army in the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator/Future Vertical Lift program, with a goal of flight testing by 2017, prototypes between 2022 and 2024, and operational capability by the 2030s, according to previous media reports and an article in the latest edition of Army Technology Magazine.ID=70152032

Two early contenders: The V-280 Valor tiltrotor, from Textron's Bell Helicopter, and the SB>1 Defiant, a joint venture from Boeing and Sikorsky. Both earned initial funding in 2013 and additional developmental contracts in August.

Both aircraft would meet or exceed goals of a 2,100 nautical-mile self-deployment capability, a top speed of 230 knots and the ability to carry 16 troops, including four crew members. The V-280's spec sheet says it'll carry 18 troops and top 280 knots, while the SB>1 reportedly would top 250 knots.

The multimission UH-60M Black Hawk's range tops out at 276 nautical miles, with a maximum cruise speed of 151 knots, per a Sikorsky spec sheet.

It may not be an either-or proposition for the Army: Maj. Gen. Mike Lundy, head of the Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Alabama, said at a recent Association of the U.S. Army aviation symposium that the FVL medium-lift component could feature "two aircraft with two capability sets."

Sikorsky and Boeing have worked together on their offering for the Army's joint multirole technology demonstrator, called the SB>1 Defiant.

Photo Credit: SikorskyBoeing artist's rendering via Army

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