DEFIANT® X Ready to Impress at AAAA Summit

It seems fitting that the DEFIANT X demonstrator is set to make a special appearance at the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. After all, the theme this year is "Driving Transformational Change," and DEFIANT X is ready to take helicopter performance and mission-effectiveness to a whole new level.

“AAAA is the largest gathering of the U.S. Army aviation community so it’s the perfect venue for Team DEFIANT to showcase the DEFIANT X,” said Ricky Freeman, President of Defense & Space at Honeywell. “This platform will set new vertical lift performance standards and fulfill the Army’s assault-utility requirements for decades to come.”

Led by Sikorsky and Boeing, Team DEFIANT is a finalist in the Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition, which will be decided later this year. With FLRAA, the Army is looking to develop an assault-utility helicopter that will fly twice as fast and twice as far as the venerable 1970s-era Black Hawk it’s intended to replace.  

“Honeywell is proud that Team DEFIANT chose our latest turboshaft engine – the HTS7500 – for the DEFIANT X,” Freeman said. “The HTS7500 represents a significant advancement in engine performance and efficiency. It will give the DEFIANT X the power to fly low, fast and far, land quickly and deliver combat power to the battlespace.”

AAAA attendees will have a chance to see the SB>1 DEFIANT demonstrator close up. The demonstrator is powered by two Honeywell T55-714A engines, members of the engine family that has been powering the CH-47 Chinook helicopter for more than six decades.

The event is scheduled for April 3-5 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. If you’re attending the show, stop by Honeywell’s booth – No. 3029 – on the exhibit floor to learn more about advanced solutions for Army aviation.