Honeywell Systems Get DEFIANT X® Flight Crews Off to a Fast Start

Every second counts when there’s a mission to be accomplished and soldiers’ lives are on the line. That’s why the Sikorsky-Boeing team made speed and efficiency top priorities in designing DEFIANT X® , their entry in the Army’s Future Long Long-Range Air Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition.

DEFIANT X will dominate the battlefield by flying faster and farther than the legendary UH-60 Black Hawk it’s designed to replace. This next-generation helicopter also starts, takes off and lands quicker, thanks to the Honeywell engines, power systems and generators on the aircraft.

Choosing one technology partner – Honeywell – to provide the engines, auxiliary power unit (APU), main engine generator and APU generator makes a big difference because these systems are specifically designed to work seamlessly together.

As a result, Team DEFIANT is able to deliver on one of the Army’s most challenging requirements – that flight crews be able to start the two propulsion engines simultaneously.

“Starting both engines at the same time saves 30-45 seconds in getting the DEFIANT X in the air,” said Tory Burgess, Senior Director of New Business Development for Army programs. “That may not seem like much, but it can be a lifetime for soldiers on the battlefield waiting for help to arrive.”

There’s no substitute for seamless integration and connectivity done the Honeywell way, Burgess continued. “Issues are more likely to come up when there are multiple suppliers involved. We know how to make sure all the Honeywell systems are harmonized, with compatible control units and electronics, which makes it easier for the systems to interact and for the Army to maintain the aircraft.”

DEFIANT X will be powered by two Honeywell HTS7500 advanced turboshaft engines. “The HTS7500 is the latest in a long line of Honeywell turboshaft engines that have been powering Army helicopters for six decades,” said John Russo, Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell’s military turboshaft engine business.

“Even though it’s evolved from our combat-proven T55 engine family, the HTS7500 is 42% more powerful than our previous-generation production T55-714A turboshaft, which is currently flying on the SB>1 DEFIANT demonstrator,” Russo continued. “The HTS7500 will enable DEFIANT X to achieve the performance standards the Army set for FLRAA and fly twice as far as a Black Hawk without needing to refuel.”

Also onboard the DEFIANT X will be a new version of Honeywell’s rugged and reliable GTCP 36-150 APU – the power behind DEFIANT X’s ability to start both engines simultaneously. Honeywell has produced more than 10,000 of these APUs since the series entered production. The Sikorsky-Boeing team also selected the newly-designed Honeywell main engine generator, which will provide electric power to the aircraft while in flight, and the newly-designed APU generator, which can provide power through all phases of operation.

“We worked closely with Sikorsky and Boeing to optimize the starting cycle and reduce the weight of the engines and power systems on the DEFIANT X,” Russo said. “Lower overall system weight is always an important consideration, and, in the case of the DEFIANT X, these weight reductions help the helicopter achieve the Army’s maximum payload and range objectives.”