Rotorcraft
X2 could make first flight by month’s end
Sikorsky’s X2 technology dem-onstrator could fly by year-end, according to Peter Grant, Sikorsky’s director of advanced programs.

Sikorsky’s X2 technology dem-onstrator could fly by year-end, according to Peter Grant, Sikorsky’s director of advanced programs. The X2 is a coaxial rigid-rotor compound helicopter designed to achieve forward speeds up to 250 knots, and at that clip it would become the world’s fastest helicopter. The current helicopter speed record of 217 knots (set by a Westland Lynx) has stood for more than 20 years.

Grant said the X2 is undergoing a second round of ground tests at Sikorsky’s Schweizer subsidiary in Elmira, N.Y. “All major subsystems are installed,” said Grant. The ground testing, which was expected to be completed by the end of last month, involved rotors-off and rotors-on tests.

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