SIKORSKY’S DEFIANT TAKES TO THE AIR

THE SIKORSKY-BOEING SB-1 Deant carried out its first flight at Sikorsky’s flight test facility near West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 21. The flight lasted more than 30 minutes and involved low-speed maneuvers. The revolutionary compound rotorcraft features two co-axial rigid main rotors and a rear-mounted pusher ‘propulsor’. According to the Sikorsky-Boeing team, the Deant ‘represents a leap forward in technology’. The design offers ‘vast increases in speed and range while improving maneuverability and survivability’. The rotorcraft is designed to