Sikorsky [UTX] program officials met with Army officials to share data on its S-97 Raider candidate for a potential Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) program, company officials said.
“It was an opportunity for their technical experts to sit with our technical experts and take a deep dive into what it would take to have a new start” program with the S-97, said Steve Engebretson, AAS program director, for Sikorsky.
Information shared was everything from what goes into the airframe, avionics, electrical system, logistics support, cost estimates for engineering non-recurring and recurring costs, and a detailed schedule of how to get from where the company is today to producing airplanes, he said.
“We let the government into all aspects of the airplane,” Engebretson said.
“My interpretation of the government reaction is how impressed they were with how far along we are with this design, how low risk it really is, taking technology that already exists and merging them into this high performance airplane,” he said.
The Army now has spent time with four potential candidates for an AAS program: Sikorsky, Boeing [BA], Finmeccanica’s AgustaWestland, and Bell Helicopter [TXT]. The Army next month will examine the data collected on all four candidate aircraft and then potentially in December at a Defense Acquisition Board review decide whether to move forward with the AAS program or upgrade OH-58D Kiowa Warrior aircraft.
Right now, Sikorsky is on schedule, Engebretson said. They are building two prototype S-97 Raider aircraft, which will first fly in 2014. The first aircraft of the two will validate key performance parameters and the second will be for demonstration.
“Fabrication is progressing quite well,” Engebretson said.
Doug Shidler, S-97 Raider helicopter program director for Sikorsky, said they’ve taken existing technology that was used on the experimental helicopter with its coaxial rotors, proved the physics, and now are scaling up that same technology for Raider and putting it in a military application. It will demonstrate more than the X-2, speed, maneuverability and high-hot performance.
While Sikorsky is focusing on the AAS program, they do see potential in other areas. One example is as a medical evacuation helicopter. Another example is as transport to oil rigs far out at sea.
Beyond AAS, the Raider is well positioned for the next generation Army-led Joint MultiRole helicopter, Engebretson said.
“Flying the Raider while the Army is evaluating next generation technology gives us an advantage. We designed Raider to perform with all the capability it needs for the future.”
One of the things Sikorsky is doing is showing the services the art of the possible, he said. For example, how does the ability to maneuver at speed and altitude change how the service operates on the battlefield or conducts missions.
“We at Sikorsky are producing a next generation platform, the first true revolution in about 70 years” Engebretson said. “It’s real and we’re building it. We’re not just talking about it.”