Helicopters
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)