Didn't reach the finish line
For many air lovers, the phrase Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) says little. Meanwhile, this is one of the most important aviation competitions of our time. Formally, the new attack helicopter for the US Army should replace the modest "Kiowa" - a light multipurpose reconnaissance aircraft. But in fact, we are talking about the formation of the appearance of a combat helicopter of the future, capable of solving reconnaissance and strike missions at a qualitatively new level. It should be faster and more stealthy than any other attack helicopter, including the AH-64, which FARA will also partially replace.
Only five companies presented their ideas in this regard. At the moment, the appearance of all helicopters as a whole has been formulated and presented to the public. Until recently, the list of contenders for victory looked like this:
- Raider-X by Sikorsky;
- Bell 360 Invictus from Bell Helicopter;
- helicopter from Boeing;
- helicopter from AVX Aircraft and L3 Technologies;
- AR40 from Karem.
The last project was presented by Boeing. As the author of the material suggested, he did not make it to the shortlist: now the US Army announced that it had chosen projects from Sikorsky (Raider-X) and 360 Invictus (Bell Helicopter). As part of the new phase, the participants will build flight prototypes: their tests should begin in the first half of the 2023 fiscal year. The military will then select one helicopter to begin production in the late 2020s.
Why did the US Army choose these particular vehicles? In short, their creators offered the most thoughtful and complex solutions. Sikorsky and Bell have gone further than others in developing or at least promoting their aircraft.
Raider-X
Recall that the Raider-X is nothing more than an improved and increased by about 30% high-speed Sikorsky S-97 Raider helicopter, which first took to the skies in 2015 and is based on the old experimental X2. As part of the autumn exhibition AUSA (Association of the United States Army) 2019, we were shown for the first time images of a new rotorcraft.
Like its predecessor, the S-97, the Raider-X has a coaxial main rotor and one push rotor. This layout allows (at least in theory) a speed of more than 380 kilometers per hour, which is unattainable for other combat rotorcraft. The General Electric T901 engine acts as the basis of the power plant. The crew is located side by side, which makes the helicopter similar to the OH-58, but moves away from the AH-64 with a tandem crew arrangement. One of the images shows air-to-surface guided missiles mounted on internal holders. They also want to equip the car with a cannon located in the bow. In general, the creators focus on speed and broad functionality, allowing (again theoretically) to get a cross between the "Kiowa" and the AH-64 "Apache".
Certain features of the helicopter can become disadvantages. Thus, the machine has an innovative layout that increases risks and increases the final cost. At the same time, the US Army made it clear that it was not going to buy a "golden" helicopter and would take into account the price. Also, the military may be confused by the layout, which is not very optimal when it comes to solving shock problems: a tandem layout of the crew members, which does not limit the view, would look like a more thoughtful decision, but this is only the subjective opinion of the author.
Bell 360 Invictus
Bell's new helicopter would be called the reincarnation of the Comanche, but this is not entirely true. And although Invictus looks like the RAH-66, it is not at all an "ultimate" stealth: the creators took into account the negative experience of that project and decided not to repeat the mistakes of the engineers of the 90s. The shape of the fuselage is designed not so much to reduce radar signature as to improve the aircraft's flight performance, which, in contrast to the conventionally revolutionary Raider-X, is based on a classic layout.
It is known that the 360 Invictus technology is based on the technical solutions of the civilian Bell 525 Relentless, which has been flying for a long time. Unlike the hero of the chapter itself. The fact is that Bell 360 Invictus now exists only as a model - Bell does not have its own prototype, like Sikorsky. But there are spectacular animation clips, in one of which a helicopter "cheerfully" destroys Russian T-14 and T-15 on the basis of "Armata". And on the other, he helps the allied infantry, beautifully maneuvering among skyscrapers and ordinary houses.
Presumably, these are not the only videos that Bell specialists will show us. Alas, they cannot be used to judge the real combat potential of a combat vehicle. Today, it can be argued more or less confidently that the helicopter will be able to carry up to eight guided air-to-surface missiles on external suspensions, and four more missiles - in internal compartments. There is a cannon. The two crew members are positioned one after the other.
Obviously, Bell is focusing on such important aspects as economy and commitment to proven technical solutions. That is, we are talking about the minimum risk with a serious increase in combat potential - at least in comparison with the "Kiowa".
“The selection of the Bell 360 Invictus to continue with the FARA program is based on our long heritage as an innovator in highly maneuverable reconnaissance helicopters,” said Mitch Snyder, President and CEO of Bell. "Our team has combined innovative thinking with proven technology to enable the army to meet demands with minimal risk and invest in an aggressive schedule."
Final battle
Interestingly, Bell and Sikorsky are competing in another, no less significant project - Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), designed to find no less than a replacement for the multipurpose Black Hawk Down. One of the main symbols of the US armed forces. Recall that Sikorsky is working with Boeing on the SB-1 Defiant, conceptually similar to the Raider-X and S-97 Raider. But Bell decided to take a risk by offering the Valor tiltrotor, despite, to put it mildly, the ambiguous experience of the Americans operating another tiltrotor - the V-22 Osprey.
It is difficult to say which helicopter the US Army will ultimately choose: both the Raider-X and the 360 Invictus, as we noted above, have their merits and demerits. The author is more impressed by Raider-X, although something suggests that Bell 360 Invictus will still emerge victorious from this battle.
In turn, Sikorsky, as seen from the outside, has a better chance of winning the FLRAA competition. Even though the V-280 Valor made its first flight in 2017, and today its test program has advanced significantly beyond the SB-1 Defiant test program, which made its first flight in 2019.
