Bell Textron has been chosen as the sole contractor for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) high-speed experimental aircraft initiative, beating Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences out of the competition.
Under Phase 2 of the Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane program, Bell is expected to complete the detailed design, construction, ground testing, and certification of its demonstrator.
The demonstrator is scheduled for completion by 2027, with flight testing to begin in 2028, a DARPA spokesperson shared with Breaking Defense.
“Bell … is excited to demonstrate a brand-new aircraft with the first-ever stop/fold technology,” said Jason Hurst, the company’s senior VP for Engineering. He was referring to the aircraft’s ability to take off vertically like a helicopter, fold its rotors into the fuselage to reduce drag, and switch to jet engines for high-speed flight.
“This is an achievement we’ve been working towards for over 10 years, as we’ve leveraged our nearly 90-year history of X-plane development to bring new technology to our warfighters.”
SPRINT
Since March 2023, DARPA and US Special Operations Command have been pursuing an experimental aircraft that blends the speed of a jet with the flexibility of a vertical takeoff and landing platform.
The SPRINT program aims to produce an aircraft that can cruise at speeds from 400 to 450 knots (740 to 833 kilometers/460 to 517 miles per hour) without the need for a runway, and “hover in austere environments from unprepared surfaces.”
Apart from the X-plane, Bell is also developing the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, which is meant to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk medium utility helicopter fleet.
