Eyes In The Sky – Sikorsky’s Innovative ‘Flying Wing’ Drone

Sikorsky, the renowned aircraft manufacturer, is in a race to create a novel ‘flying wing’ drone, tailored for a unique Pentagon program. The objective is clear: engineer drones capable of landing on ships and in terrain lacking the necessary runway facilities required by larger, traditional military unmanned aircraft.

Selected as one of nine contenders in the third week of June, Sikorsky is pursuing the Pentagon contract, competing with significant players such as Northrop Grumman and drone manufacturer Aerovironment, who was part of the design team for the Mars Ingenuity helicopter.

During a recent forum hosted by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, Sikorsky’s lead executive in Stratford provided insights about the project.

“It actually sits on its tail, launches vertically then flips over and flies like a fixed-wing aircraft,” said Paul Lemmo, president of Sikorsky. “It’s essentially just a wing — there’s no vertical tail or…