Hovering aircraft programs

The AW609 tiltrotor and the X³ compound helicopter offer different technology solutions to the challenge of achieving higher speeds and higher-quality point-to-point air transport.

THE BASIC DESIGN PARAMETERS of tiltrotor aircraft and compound helicopters have been known since the 1950s, and many prototypes have been built over the years.

The tiltrotor design brings clear advantages in terms of providing optimum performance in all flying modes, with large propellers providing vertical lift for takeoff, landing, and hovering, and also high-speed cruise when swiveled into the horizontal position.