Sikorsky unveils plans for family of next-gen aircraft, VTOL systems

Sikorsky unveiled its plan to build, test and fly a hybrid-electric VTOL demonstrator on Tuesday. This design is the first in a series of larger next-gen VTOL aircraft, from traditional helicopters to winged configurations, all with different degrees of electrification and an advanced autonomy system for optionally piloted flight. The Lockheed Martin company showed off its plans to design a new hybrid-electrical vertical takeoff and landing demonstrator with a tilt-wing configuration. The HEX demonstrator program will provide Sikorsky with new insight into the journey to creating future aircraft. "We never stop innovating at Sikorsky," Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo said. "Autonomy and electrification will bring transformational change to flight safety and operational efficiency of large VTOL aircraft. Our HEX demonstrator program will provide valuable insights as we look to a future family of aircraft built to the scale and preferred configurations relevant to commercial and military customers." The HEX program will place a premium on a more than 500 nautical mile range at high speed with fewer mechanical systems to decrease the complexity and reduce maintenance costs. The prototyping group, Sikorsky Innovations, along with GE Aerospace, are finalizing designs to build a hybrid-electric testbed equipped with a 600KW electric motor. The testbed is the first step to evaluating the hover performance of the follow-on HEX demonstrator. The follow-on demonstrator will be a 9,000-pound maximum gross weight aircraft with a 1.2MW-class turbogenerator and associated power electronics. "Within Sikorsky's electric pillar, we are designing electric motors, power electronics and our own vehicle management hardware and actuation," Sikorsky Innovations Director Igor Cherepinsky said. "HEX will integrate these components, showcase the growing maturity of our MATRIX autonomy suite, and the potential for maintenance-free systems. Seeing the results will lead us to more efficient overall designs."