Press Releases
Sikorsky Unveils S-97 RAIDER™ Helicopter
October 02, 2014

 West Palm Beach, Florida - Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), today unveiled the first of two S-97 RAIDER™ helicopter prototypes, signaling the start of activities in the program’s test flight phase and a major step toward demonstrating the new – and first – armed reconnaissance rotorcraft featuring X2™ Technology designed for military missions.

“Today, Sikorsky unveiled the next generation of military rotorcraft, with capabilities and performance never seen before in our industry,” said Sikorsky President Mick Maurer. “Just four years ago, we announced plans to build the S-97 RAIDER and teamed with some of the best companies in the industry, understanding the need to ensure aircraft development would not falter as government defense budgets shrank in response to economic pressures. Sikorsky is proud of its leadership in this area, and of the leadership the S-97 RAIDER represents among the world’s military rotorcraft.”

Based on Sikorsky’s rigid X2™ rotor coaxial design, the S-97 RAIDER helicopter features next-generation technologies in a multi-mission configuration (armed aerial scout or light assault), capable of carrying six troops and external weapons. The coaxial counter-rotating main rotors and pusher propeller provide cruise speeds up to 220 knots (253 mph), more than double the speed of conventional helicopters. Sikorsky will offer the RAIDER™ aircraft as a replacement for the U.S. Army’s OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter fleet based on the Army’s future operational and financial priorities, and for the special operations platform.

“Military rotorcraft fleets need maximum performance and increased capabilities to achieve their objectives,” Maurer added. “The RAIDER delivers on that with its greatly improved maneuverability and speed, significantly improved high/hot hover performance, and greater range and endurance.”

The single-engine RAIDER features a composite airframe and a maximum gross weight of slightly more than 11,000 lbs. The aircraft will be capable of carrying an array of weapons and sensors, necessary for the mission. The cockpit will fit two pilots, seated side-by-side. The flexible cabin space will carry up to six combat-equipped troops, or additional fuel and ammunition for extended missions.

“RAIDER marks the first unveiling of a new relevant rotorcraft configuration in 30 years,” said Mark Miller, Vice President of Research & Engineering. “With the RAIDER program, Sikorsky has brought innovation to every aspect of the process, rethinking the way we design, build, test and support the product. We’ve kept a close eye on lowering development, production and support costs while increasing productivity and quality, and we are confident that the RAIDER is the solution for the future warfighter. We are looking forward to getting air under its tires and expanding the envelope in flight test in the coming months.”

The RAIDER helicopter program is 100 percent industry funded. Sikorsky provides 75 percent of the investment, and 53 principal suppliers provide the remaining funding.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture, and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides high technology products and services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning opportunities for development, production and sale of helicopters. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in government procurement priorities and practices, budget plans, availability of funding and in the type and number of aircraft required; challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corporation’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
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Sikorsky Aircraft unveiled the S-97 RAIDER™ helicopter, the first armed reconnaissance rotorcraft featuring X2™ technology, during a rollout event on Oct. 2 in Florida.

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Media contact:
Marianne Heffernan
Office: 203-386-4373
Mobile: 203-583-9760
[email protected]

Judy Senechal
Office: 203-386-6335
Mobile: 860-841-2793
[email protected]

http://www.sikorsky.com/About+Sikorsky/News/Press+Details?pressvcmid=64c823798e1d8410VgnVCM1000004f62529fRCRD


https://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=1537254
Archived thread from last year about the S-97 starting final assembly

Dead fucking sexy.

I'm sure DoD will mission-creep this one to death too, just like Comanche.  

They killed the Comanche

Wonder how this will go

Eta lol semi beat

It will have 64 hellfires and a GAU-8 on it before the bureaucrats are done with it.

six combat troops? wow....they plan on using them to take down dog houses?

The Army will want it.

The Air Force will say "Nyet"

So, this will be like a faster version of the Hind, but without the stubby wings to augment lift at low speeds/takeoff?

It's gonna have to be able to ferry itself across the Pacific without refueling, and fit inside a CH-47....

Bad assed.  

Pretty awesome, aside from looking a bit like a carp

It's aimed at AAS, which they've abandoned in favor of Apaches and UAVs. I'm not sure why they even continued. I would have expected they'd focus on the Defiant, since that's what they're building for FVL.

 

Should be named "Redskin".

Okay, I'm a fixed-wing guy, so you rotor-wing pilots and RC guys will have to help me out here. Just the other day I was wondering why coaxials weren't being used. It would solve the problem of trailing-blade losing lift at speed, but I have a coax RC model and I've noticed that extreme maneuvers result in rotor-on-rotor strikes. Anyway, this is all very interesting - What are the real-world pros and cons of a coax with a pusher?

Interesting.  It appears to be much larger than the OH-58D.  i'm curious what the Army specs for the replacement aircraft were.  It almost looks like it's big enough to replace the Blackhawk.

 
 

Is this what they crashed in the Bin Laden raid?

hmmmmmm

Use google for thirty seconds please

 

Cruise speeds in excess of 200 kts.

oh my

I see the S-97 as a possible badder faster replacement for the Little Bird and a interesting possible adjunct to DAP birds.

If big green ever decides it needs a successor to the OH-58D it could fill that role with plenty of performance and capability left over.

Civil air ambulance might be interested.

That's pretty bad ass. Makes me wanna squeeze into my bad ass red jeans.

No. That was a stealth variant of the Black Hawk.

Bad ass. I want one.

Jesus Christ, this!  We're going to spend a hundred gazillion dollars so a fireteam can have it's own ride???

I'm cool with that.

They'll make a remote controlled version of it.

I wonder why the aircraft complies don't lease them to the military.

If the Army was smart, they'd adopt it as-is without the wings. Then once it's accepted into service go "Oh, oops, we forgot to put these on..."

It is all privately funded and didn't cost us one thin dime.

Sikorsky paid for most of it and 54 of their suppliers put up the rest.

Army never abandoned the AAS idea, they simply got tired of (relatively) cheap OH-58 upgrades getting in the way of buying expensive shiny new airframes.  The solution?  Scrap the OH-58s, because the cheapest aircraft to operate is just too expensive to keep operating, wait a few years until the OHs are all on polls or in scrap yards, and then declare that the Army needs an AAS.



WAH-LAH! Expensive shiny new airframe program with no excuses to derail it!!



 

The aircraft companies can't afford to build and own them.



 

Looks nice, but can it Airwolf?

What an original design!

SPECIAL FORCES

hmmmmmmm fast as fuck can deploy a Spec ops team a FULL TEAM OF 12 WITH 2 BIRDS Stealthy as all get out Hell they Managed the Bin Laden raid with 2 Fat Black hawks Imagine what this can do .

Maybe I'll see it flying when I'm hunting up there in the next couple weeks.

air wolf is that you?

im kinda disappointed... i was hoping for a cylon raider..

Looks awfully big to have only an 11,000lb gross. And just 6 guys? Hmmm.

It's good-looking, but that don't count for much in shooting wars.

Obligatory bah, humbug:

... the US Army does not like counter rotating coaxial rotors

Neat. I really dunno wtf it'd be good for, but neat.

That rotor system looks complicated and expensive to maintain by Army personnel.

On looks alone we should get about 50000 of these.   1000 for each state :)

Considering it's twice the speed of conventional helicopters, A pair of these guys would be quite effective, particularly where you need to get small teams in and out quickly.

SF certainly comes to mind.

This is very true.