Boeing / Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche Reconnaissance / Light Attack Helicopter (2004)
The RAH-66 Comanche helicopter was to replace the AH-1, UH-1, OH-6 and OH-58 helicopters in service with the US Army.
Developed from the LHX (Light Helicopter Experimental) program of the early 1980's, the design proposal produced by a Boeing/Sikorsky venture won out over Bell/McDonnell Douglas. First flights by prototype 1 were carried out in 1996 while the second prototype flew later that decade. The sharp lines were reminiscent of the design taken to the F-117 nighthawk stealth fighter and featured sharp angles and a low radar cross section.
The RAH-66 featured a large 5-blade composite main rotor system and a smaller tail rotor housed in a protective covering, similar to the French-based Gazelle systems. Internal weapons bays were intended from the beginning as was a retractable powered undercarriage. Optional stub wings allowed the system more flexibility in armament provision at the cost of a larger radar signature. Standard armament was a powered 20mm three barrel General Electric cannon in a Giat turret system. The pilot and copilot/gunner sat in a tandem-seat cockpit with good visibility.
Flight and control systems aboard the RAH-66 were of the state-of-the-art variety with helmet-mounted controls, sidestick cyclic controls, 3D map displays, fly-by-wire with a triple redundancy feature, FLIR and laser designation and the power Apache Longbow-based millimeter wave radar to boot.
On the hypothetical battlefield, the RAH-66 system would have supported battlefield combat by taking out enemy armor and aircraft at range. With the tracking power of the mighty Longbow and the nimbleness of the smaller systems like the OH-58 Kiowa, the RAH-66 helicopter would have been a welcomed addition to the modern and wireless battlefield. The RAH-66 Comanche never came to fruition, however, as the entire project was officially cancelled by the United States Army in the Spring of 2004 mostly due to budgetary cutbacks. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
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Specifications for the
Boeing / Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche
Reconnaissance / Light Attack Helicopter
Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: Boeing / Sikorsky - USA
Initial Year of Service: 2004
Production: 2
Focus Model: Boeing / Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche
Crew: 2
Length: 43.31ft (13.2m)
Width: 39.04ft (11.90m)
Height: 11.06ft (3.37m)
Weight (Empty): 20,503lbs (9,300kg)
Weight (MTOW): 12,359lbs (5,606kg)
Powerplant: 2 x LHTEC T800-LHT-801 turboshafts generating 1,563 shp each and driving a five blade main rotor with an eight blade fan-in-fin shrouded tail rotor.
Maximum Speed: 201mph (324kmh; 175kts)
Maximum Range: 1,382miles (2,224km)
Service Ceiling: 14,980ft (4,566m; 2.8miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 895 feet per minute (273m/min)
Hardpoints: 4 (2 x internal bays; 2 x optional wing stubs)
Armament Suite:
STANDARD:
1 x 20mm XM301 three-barrel cannon in chin turret.
OPTIONAL (INERNAL BAYS):
6 x Hellfire anti-tank missiles OR 6 x Stinger air-to-air missiles OR 24 x Hydra 70 2.75" air-to-surface rockets.
OPTIONAL (STUB WINGS):
8 x Hellfire anti-tank missiles OR 16 x Stinger air-to-air missiles OR 56 x Hydra 70 2.75" air-to-surface rockets.
Variants:
YRAH-66 - Prototype Model Designation of which two were constructed.
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