helicopters in service with the US Army.
Designation: Boeing / Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche
Classification Type: Reconnaissance / Light Attack Helicopter
Contractor: Boeing / Sikorsky - USA
Country of Origin: United States
Initial Year of Service: 2004
Number Built: 2
The RAH-66 Comanche helicopter was to be the next generation answer for the
United States Army in replacing its aging series of UH-1, AH-1 Cobra, OH-6
and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters in full. The RAH-66 was designed as the world's
first stealth helicopter and was classified as a light attack. The system
was to operate fully-powered internal bays housing anti-armor and anti-air
missiles and was to promote the use of stealth materials to further conceal
it against enemy radar. Had it been produced, the RAH-66 would have been the
world's most advanced combat helicopter in service with any army in any
nation.
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.
Specifications for the Boeing / Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche
Dimensions:
Length: 43.31ft (13.20m)
Width: 0.00ft (0.00m)
Height: 11.06ft (3.37m)
Performance: About MACH
Max Speed: 201mph (324kmh; 175kts)
Max Range: 1,382miles (2,224km)
Rate-of-Climb:895ft/min (273m/min)
Service Ceiling: 14,980ft (4,566m; 2.8miles)
Structure:
Accommodation: 2
Hardpoints: 4 (2 x internal bays; 2 x optional wing stubs)
Empty Weight: 20,503lbs (9,300kg)
MTOW: 12,359lbs (5,606kg)
Powerplant:
Engine(s): 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.
Armament Suite:
1 x 20mm Cannon
6 x Hellfire anti-tank missiles (held in two internal bays)
6 x Stinger air-to-air missiles (held in two internal bays)
4 x Hellfire anti-tank missiles (on optional external wing stubs)
8 x Stinger air-to-air missiles (on optional external wing stubs)
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