Task & Purpose: The Slick New S-97 Raider Makes the Black Hawk Look *So* 1974
The competition to be the next Army helicopter is heating up. On June 20th, Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider once again took flight completing a 90-minute demonstration, the first since an August 2017 crash caused by flight software errors grounded the program
According to Sikorsky, the S-97 will be capable of ‘light assault, light attack, armed reconnaissance, close-air support, combat search and rescue, and unmanned applications.’ which would make the Raider a virtual flying Swiss Army knife.
With a more conventional twin rotor design than its competitor for those sweet, sweet Army warbucks in the Bell V-280 Valor, the Raider is designed to allow maximum maneuverability, capable of speeds of around 250 miles per hour and dropping six fully loaded troops into the fray. It has a reported range of 350 miles and can cruise at an altitude of 10,000 feet. By comparison, the Valor the can reach speeds of 322 miles per hour, has a range of between 500 to 900 miles depending on the configuration.
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WNU Editor: It's 2017 crash did set back the program by one year, but it looks like Sikorsky is going to try its best to make up for lost time.
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