The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Tactical Technology Office will host a Proposers Day to inform potential proposers on its Speed and Runway Independent Technologies X-Plane Demonstrator initiative on March 23.
To validate technologies and integrated concepts necessary for creating fast, runway-independent air mobility platforms, the SPRINT program aims to design, build and certify an X-plane that will function as a proof-of-concept technology demonstrator, according to a notice posted Thursday on SAM.gov.
Technologies validated by the X-plane testing can be scaled to different sized military aircraft, allowing them to cruise at over 400 knots and hover in harsh, unprepared spaces.
DARPA TTO is planning a 42-month contract to develop the SPRINT X-Plane demonstrator. The first six months will involve conceptual design and review as well as interface definition. It will be followed by simulation, component and subsystem testing, and planning the production and flight test.
The second phase of the project will cover construction, ground test and certification, and the third phase will involve validation in a flight environment.
