Sikorsky’s Next Gen Helos

11.10.2011 DEFENSETECH

So Army aviation officials revealed yesterday at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference that they are looking to field a new generation of attack and utility helicopters by 2030. What could that helo look like? Well, Sikorsky has a few ideas on display here that are based on its coaxial rotor technology — the same gear that was used to power the company’s X2 experimental chopper on its high speed flights. As you can see above, the company is offering an attack chopper, a scout bird, a transport helo and a smaller UAV — all powered by coaxial rotors.

The new chopper falls under the Joint Multirole Helicopter program — the Pentagon’s effort to field up to four brand new helicopters for the first time in decades. Still, as Army aviation officials have pointed out, it’s going to be difficult to develop a new class of chopper in a time of tight budgets. We’ll see what the future holds for Joint Multirole.

Click through the jump for pics of the helos.

The Attack Variant:

The utility transport:

The armed scout version:

The UAV: