Sikorsky Aircraft unveiled the first of two S-97 Raider helicopter prototypes on 2 October at its facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. Test flights will begin this year, company officials said.
"Sikorsky will begin ground testing shortly and is on track for first flight this year," Steve Engebretson, Sikorsky's advanced military programmes director told IHS Jane's . "The entire flight programme will take about a year to complete."
Engebretson added that flight demonstrations will begin "after the test flight programme is complete, probably in the first quarter of 2016".
Based on Sikorsky's rigid X2 coaxial rotor design, the S-97 was designed to function as both an armed aerial scout and light assault aircraft.
The coaxial counter-rotating main rotors and pusher propeller provide cruise speeds up to 220 kt (253 mph), more than double the speed of conventional helicopters, according to Sikorsky. The aircraft is powered by a General Electric YT706 engine, a variant of the CT7.
The company plans to offer the Raider as a replacement for the US Army's Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior armed scout, as well as for special operations missions.
The development effort is privately funded. Sikorsky provides 75% of the investment, and its 53 principal suppliers provide the remainder, according to the company.
"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 defence budgets shrank in response to economic pressures," said Sikorsky president Mick Maurer.
Sikorsky started final assembly of the prototype in September 2013. Earlier this year, company officials said they planned to spend approximately USD200 million on the development.
Sikorsky first tested the coaxial design in 2010 on the X2 demonstrator, at which time the helicopter demonstrated a 250 kt flight speed, which is about twice that of conventional helicopters. The X2 also provided an opportunity to develop low acoustic signature technology, according to Sikorsky. Company officials have said that the Raider prototype will improve on the X2, demonstrating a capacity to conduct precision manoeuvres at low speed, as well as high- g turning manoeuvres at more than 200 kt and engage in hot-day hover performance at altitudes of up to 10,000 ft.
The S-97 offers a variety of technologies drawn from the company's X2 technology demonstrator. Its composite fuselage was developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and consists of an integrated cockpit, cabin, and tail cone. The prototype also features counter-rotating main rotor blades for lift and forward flight, and a pusher propeller for high-speed acceleration and deceleration.
Sikorsky is also using the X2 technology, along with partner Boeing, as a basis from which to develop a high-speed rotorcraft for the US Army's Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD) programme. The JMR TD is the precursor to the army's estimated USD100 billion Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme, which is meant to replace the army's UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
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