14 December 2024

X-plane: US high-speed, runway-free rotor aircraft ready for real-world testing

Kapil Kajal

Bell Textron has completed wind tunnel testing for its rotor-folding aircraft as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Speed and Runway Independent Technology (SPRINT) program.

This testing phase follows the Stop/Fold rotor system assessment conducted at the Holloman High-Speed Test Track in New Mexico in 2023.

The wind tunnel program focused on validating the aircraft’s stability and control during the rotor fold and unfold sequence while in flight.

These evaluations and earlier rotor tests indicate that this aircraft’s development is now complete, and it is ready to proceed into the flight demonstration phase of the DARPA SPRINT program.

Rotor-folding aircraft

“Having completed folding rotor transition testing at Holloman Air Force Base last year, we are pleased to advance to this next phase of testing,” stated Jason Hurst, executive vice president of Engineering at Bell.

“The ongoing development of our Stop/Fold systems aims to enhance the capabilities of vertical lift aircraft for operations in various environments.”

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