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Breaking: First Flight of Sikorsky's S-97 Raider

From PR Newswire: WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., May 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a United Technologies Corp. subsidiary (NYSE:UTX), today announced the successful first flight of the S-97 RAIDER™ helicopter, a rigid coaxial rotor prototype designed to demonstrate a game-changing combination of maneuverability, hover ability, range, speed, endurance and survivability. The first flight was…

Sikorsky Aircraft's S-97 Raider helicopter achieved successful first flight at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, May 22, 2015.
Sikorsky Aircraft’s S-97 Raider helicopter achieved successful first flight at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, May 22, 2015.

From PR Newswire:

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., May 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a United Technologies Corp. subsidiary (NYSE:UTX), today announced the successful first flight of the S-97 RAIDER™ helicopter, a rigid coaxial rotor prototype designed to demonstrate a game-changing combination of maneuverability, hover ability, range, speed, endurance and survivability. The first flight was conducted at Sikorsky’s Development Flight Center (DFC) where the two-prototype RAIDER™ helicopter test program is based.

The S-97, developed from Sikorsky’s X-2 technology demonstrator, was started in 2010 oringally as a response the replace the Army’s OH-58D armed scout helicopter through the Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) program. Now the first military customer is aimed to the Army’s Special Operation Command replace the M-6M Little Bird helicopter. The aircraft is also intended as a possible armed escort for the USMC’s MV-22 and the USAF’s CV-22 Osprey. Some civilian some are seen as well.

This inflight view of Sikorsky's X-2 Technology Demonstrator provides an interesting conparison with the S-97 Raider.
This inflight view of Sikorsky’s X-2 Technology Demonstrator provides an interesting conparison with the S-97 Raider.

The S-97 features an all-composite fuselage, variable speed coaxial main rotors, pusher propellor to the rear and modern digital cockpit displays. The S-97 is a fly-by-wire aircraft featuring actuators to cancel out aircraft shaking. The Raider is powered by the GE YT706 turboshaft (the same engine used on the UH-60M Black Hawk). This is an interim powerplant until the Improved Turbine Engine Program provides power to production aircraft. Expected performance will be a range of 340 miles, a maximum speed of 276 mph, a max cruise speed of 253 mph and a max ceiling of 10,000ft. Gross weight is 11,000lbs. The Raider prototype has space for but is not fitted with weapons or sensors.

UPDATE:

Sikorsky uploaded the first flight video:

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  1. PatG

    Looks like the Cheyenne’s grandchild. It will be interesting to see it fully tooled up.

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  2. SFC Dunlap 173d RVN

    God I was JUST thinking Cheyenne. Scared I’m old enough to remember that program while it was in progress.

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  3. LT Rusty

    Hm.

    Wonder how much the range and speed will suffer with a dipping sonar, a pair of Mk46’s, a Penguin, a couple Hellfires, some FLIR, and a boatload of sonobuoys?

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  4. Quartermaster

    A book I used to have listed the Cobra’s top speed as 205 smph. By the time you started hanging missile tubes, and other sources of drag, the Cobra got slowed to some where in the vicinity of 130. You’ll see the same effect here. If the Army is willing to make things a bit more complex, they can design the AC to keep the stuff internally and expose it only when firing.

    This is quite a bit different than Cheyenne was. Cheyenne still had a tail rotor to counteract torque. This does not as the conservation of angular momentum is taken care of by the counter-rotating main rotors.

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  5. LT Rusty

    That was something in the way of a rhetorical question.

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  6. Shaun Evertson

    My first thought was Cheyenne too. My second thought was “good looking helo.” Sometimes when it looks right it is right. It’s going to get fat in development, they always do. But if it’s designed to be a scout and they keep it a scout it will probably be a hell of a scout. If the crack heads in the pentagram decide it’s a COD, then all bets are off.

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  7. Shaun Evertson

    My third thought was Sikorsky! Effin’ A!

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  8. pngai

    This combination of coaxial main rotors and a pusher propeller just seems like the only way to go.

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  9. xbradtc

    Seems cheaper than a tilt-rotor and almost as capable.

    Liked by 1 person

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