The US military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has granted four private companies funds to develop a next-generation aircraft similar to the V-22 Osprey.
The Osprey has found wide usage due to its novel ability to take off and land vertically like a helicopter, allowing it to operate in areas without runways. DARPA is launching the SPRINT (Speed and Runway Independent Technologies) program to develop a comparable aircraft capable of flying at much faster speeds.
“What we ... want to be able to achieve is higher-end speeds,” said Navy Commander Ian Higgins to a US media outlet. “We’re going another 100-plus knots beyond [the Osprey], which itself challenges physics if you were just to use the propulsion system that’s in the Osprey.”
The current V-22 Osprey has a max speed of 270 knots or just over 300 miles per hour. DARPA is hoping for the development of an aircraft by spring 2027 that can travel at a brisk 460 to 520 miles per hour.
But DARPA retains a broad wishlist for other capabilities it wants to see in the new technology. The agency is not requiring the design to be fully practical, but is hoping to develop technology at this stage that will inform future projects.
However, the aircraft will be required to be able to carry a load of 40% of the vehicle’s projected weight, suggesting DARPA is hoping for an aircraft that can serve the logistics functions of the Osprey.
The companies Aurora Flight Sciences (a subsidiary of Boeing), Bell Textron, Northrop Grumman, and Piasecki Aircraft Corp have been awarded funds to begin developing their ideas. Some of the early concepts, such as the one from Bell Textron, appear to be physically similar to the Osprey.
Others, like the one from Aurora, appear to offer a simpler design that may be intended to avoid the technological complexity of the Osprey.
The V-22 Osprey is valued by the US Marine Corps for its logistics capabilities but the aircraft has suffered numerous catastrophic failures since its introduction in 2007, claiming the lives of at least 53 service members. The plane was once again grounded throughout the US armed forces earlier this month after a crash off the coast of Japan killed eight Air Force Special Operations Command members.
A recent analysis from Sputnik examined the complex mechanical design of the Osprey that makes the aircraft difficult to operate and maintain.