Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters' VSR700 unmanned naval helicopter prototype recently successfully completed its maiden flight. On November 8, 2019, at a drone test center in the south of France, the aircraft carried out a series of tethered flights.

Sikorsky has debuted the Raider X light attack reconnaissance helicopter, its entrant in the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft Competitive Prototype program, which is also being contested by Bell, AVX Aircraft, Boeing, and Karem Aircraft.

Bell has unveiled the Bell 360 Invictus rotorcraft, as the company's entrant in the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) Competitive Prototype program.

The Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft has completed a milestone hover and low-speed agility key performance parameter (KPP) test. Part of the US Army-led JMR TD program, the test flights were reportedly completed ahead of schedule and show that the Valor meets Army performance requirements.

AVX Aircraft and L3 Technologies have produced a design to compete in the U.S. Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program. This high-speed coaxial chopper will vie for inclusion in a competitive prototype fly-off that'll decide which aircraft eventually gets produced.

Merging two cutting-edge technologies, Lockheed Martin flew its Pilotage Distributed Aperture Sensor system aboard a Bell V-280 Valor last month. The multi-functional sensor system collects high-resolution images from around the aircraft, providing the flight crew with a 360-degree view.

The first helicopter designed to operate on Mars has completed its first series of test flights. Beginning in January of this year, the 4-lb (1.8-kg) flight model of the Mars Helicopter was put through its paces in a simulated Martian environment at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Sikorsky and Boeing have been working on this high-speed, long-range, ultra-maneuverable military helicopter design for some time, and now they’ve released the first photos of what is expected to become a highly effective US Army utility helicopter sometime in the 2030s.

The US Air Force has completed testing of its new face mask for helicopter and other rotary aircraft crews. The Joint Service Aircrew Mask – Rotary Wing (JSAM-RW) mask is one of five variants that will replace a whole range of masks worn by military aircrews.

The US Air Force has selected the Boeing MH-139 helicopter to replace its venerable fleet of UH-1N “Huey” choppers that are used to protect America's land-based nuclear ICBMs in the US Midwest. The contract, worth US$2.4 billion, is for 84 aircraft along with support services and training systems.

An Autonomous Aerial Cargo Utility System (AACUS)-enabled UH-1H helicopter has autonomously delivered 520 lb (236 kg) of water, gasoline, MREs, communications gear, and a cooler capable of carrying urgent supplies such as blood to US Marines in the field.

Bell's experimental V-280 Valor has made its first cruise flight. A video released by the company shows the tilt-rotor aircraft flying with its propellers tilted to forward for the first time on May 11, when it reached a top speed of 190 knots (218 mph, 352 km/h)