Will the future Apache replacement be a Compound helicopter?
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Half a century ago the AH-56 Cheyenne was expected to become the heavy Attack helicopter that the Army needed to help blunt Soviet armored offensives. Equipped with a powerful pusher rotor, it could carry substantial armament at speeds above 200 knots. In the end the innovative aircraft became too complicated and the program was canceled, the Army choosing to make do with the much lighter AH-1 Cobra until the arrival of the AH-64 Apache a decade later. Today the important competition to replace the UH-60 Blackhawk is underway, with two very different concepts vying for the contract. The V-280 Valor is a tiltrotor, while the SB-1 Defiant has a coaxial design with the now familiar pusher rotor. Soon after that process is over, the Attack portion of the Future Vertical Lift program will begin. What are the chances the aircraft that replaces the Apache ends up looking a lot like the Cheyenne?
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