Sikorsky Unveils Raider Prototype | Defense News | defensenews.com: Sikorsky unveiled its first S-97 Raider prototype Thursday, kicking off the test flight phase of the experimental helicopter program.
The helicopter giant’s West Palm Beach, Florida, facility hosted the event, which featured executives from the firm showing off the first full production model. The company will begin ground testing shortly and expects to have first flight of the system this year.
“Just four years ago, we announced plans to build the S-97 Raider and teamed with some of the best companies in the industry, understanding the need to ensure aircraft development would not falter as government defense budgets shrank in response to economic pressures,” company President Mick Maurer said in a press release. “Sikorsky is proud of its leadership in this area, and of the leadership the S-97 Raider represents among the world’s military rotorcraft.”
The Raider is Sikorsky’s planned entry to replace the US Army’s OH-58D Kiowa Warrior fleet, but if it can deliver on company promises, it could find itself with a much wider audience.
The Raider prototype is based on the X-2 technology that Sikorsky developed in the late 2000s, with some key differences. Where the X-2 demonstrator was a one-person, 5,000-pound platform, the Raider is roughly 11,000 pounds with room for six troops for combat assault missions; if those troops aren’t needed, that space can be used to hold extra equipment or ammunition.
