The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is pursuing, through the "VTOL X-Plane" program, an aeronautical leap forward in vertical take-off, hover and flight. The future X-plane must be able to act like an helicopter but at the same time be able to execute high-speed flight like an airplane. Helicopters can take off and land almost anywhere and hover, but they can't fly very fast. Fixed-wing planes can fly fast but can’t hover. The tiltrotor V-22 Osprey, which has two large wingtip rotors that tilt upward to take off like a helicopter and then rotates them forward to fly like an airplane, is the only operational aircraft that comes close. DARPA wants a technology demonstrator that will fly at “sustained speeds” of 345 to 460 miles per hour.
Boeing's concept
Four companies have offered designs to build this plane-of-the-future technology demonstrator. The designs include new types of tiltrotors, compound helicopters with innovative mechanisms for vertical and horizontal thrust and innovative systems of electrical fans. The fans are powered by distributed electric systems using conventional gas turbine engines which in turn produce electricity for the powerful fans that will propel the vehicle vertically and through the air. DARPA will choose one company to build the VTOL X-Plane and flight test it in 2017-18
Aurora Flight Sciences Corp.
Karem Aircraft Co.
Sikorsky Aircraft Co.
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