S-97 Raider aircraft to be pushed to speeds of over 220kts

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AUSA 2018: Need for speed dominates S-97 Raider tests


4th October 2018 - 22:17 GMT | by Tim Martin in London


Sikorsky’s future generation light attack S-97 Raider aircraft is set to push beyond speeds of 220kts, a benchmark which represents uncharted territory on the programme’s test campaign.

The company’s X2 technology has already allowed test pilots to reach high speeds, over and above typical rates found across the light attack spectrum. Flight envelope expansion will now turn to experimentation that will see new boundaries set.

‘We are aiming to find out the aircraft’s true speed capability,’ Bill Fell, S-97 Raider test pilot, told journalists during an October 4 conference call. 

‘The original design was set at 230kts clean and 220knts with weapons on. We are on a path where we intend to go over 220kts at level flight. Where exactly we get to will depend on what we learn over the next few months.’ 

With speeds being ramped up the test team has been concentrating on vibration reduction and monitoring developments carefully.

‘We’ve made some adjustments to the active vibration control system and moving force generators around. Numbers for critical components are looking really good and we’ll continue to try and drive vibrations down in the cockpit,’ Fell said.

Manoeuvrability testing is also making steady progress with greater payloads due to be added to the aircraft in the near future. An increase to ‘steeper angles of bank’ are also being planned.

It’s anticipated that in the long-term changes to major components will be undertaken, but Sikorksy declined to make further comment on such developments, at this juncture. 

‘I’m not sure we want to go into those details at this point,’ Fell admitted.

Commenting on the performance of the aircraft however, he suggested that a rigid rotor design has proved to produce less lag, while responsiveness of the aircraft ‘is much quicker'.

A number of drag improvements are also being assessed currently, including potential changes to the rotor bearings, gaps between doors and the 'tidying up of antennas'.

From a flight system functionality perspective, Fell dismissed the idea that any new configurations would be developed, with Sikorsky retaining full confidence in a ‘rate command mode’.

‘Attitude command modes and hold modes are really for degraded visual environments or landing in brownout or flying in instrument conditions. We don’t really intend on doing any of that with the advanced modes we have developed for the aircraft and flown in simulation,’ he said. 

‘If we don’t fly them in the aircraft I don’t see that as being much of a risk going forward or whenever we [eventually] build this.' 

The significant progress being made on the test campaign front is sure to be welcomed by the US Army, in light of the service soliciting industry with a Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) Competitive Prototype (CP) notice earlier this week.

In a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) issued on 3 October the army set out its plans to secure competitive, future armed reconnaissance and/or light attack prototype proposals. 

A production quantity of 500 aircraft could eventually be reached, with 'IOC provided by production aircraft by 2028'.

A Sikorsky spokesperson confirmed that the company is now in the process of reviewing the BAA, with the competition, all but certain to include the S-97.

‘The results of this prototyping and test effort will support a decision to enter into a formal program of record for subsequent full system integration, qualification and production as a rapid acquisition,’ the announcement states. 

‘Teamed with unmanned systems and various air launched effects, this platform will be the centre piece of the integrated air defence system (IADS) breaching team to provide freedom of maneuver in a multi-domain battle.’

The BAA was formally issued by the US Army Contracting Command and established for the FVL Cross-Functional Team. 

A firm set of programme milestones are also confirmed in the BAA, including a systems requirement review (Q1 FY2020); initial design and risk review (Q2 FY2020); down selection to two participants (Q3 FY2020); final design and risk review (Q1 FY2021); initial preliminary design review (Q3 FY2022); prototype first flight (Q1 FY2023) and a FARA CP end target of Q4 FY2023. A full system and qualification phase is mentioned but has yet to be decided.

Source: shephardmedia.com

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Published on Oct 3, 2018

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