Could this be the shape of things to come for Heliplane design? This unique, single fixed-wing craft is called the Challis Heliplane and is capable of flying faster than Jet Man at over 300mph. At this stage the aircraft is only a small-scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), but it is a working model for a safe, high-speed, full-scale Heliplane that would be suitable for both civilian and military use, due to its ability to make emergency power-off landings.

The Challis Heliplane is capable of vertical takeoffs and landings much like a traditional helicopter, but when engaged in forward flight, the front propeller mostly takes over, providing 80 percent of the thrust. In this mode, the rotors continue to provide some lift, aided by the single wing on the body and on the tail. This design has an advantage over Tiltrotor type craft in that if engine failure occurred, the craft could make a safe emergency landing in much the same manner as a traditional helicopter.

The aircraft was designed to challenge the Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey but could even take on the blazing Sikorsky X2 which claims a top speed of 288mph. Check out the video below to see the thing go, plus the company has an interesting Challis Heliplane vs Regular Helicopter animated demonstration on their site.

Sources:
Challis Heliplane and YouTube