Sikorsky Raider X

{{short description|American high-speed scout and attack compound helicopter}}

{{Infobox aircraft begin

|name= S-97 Raider

|image=

|caption= The Raider X is based on the S-97 Raider, seen here in flight

|alt= S-97 Raider in flight

}}{{Infobox aircraft type

|type= Reconnaissance and attack compound helicopter

|national origin= United States

|manufacturer= Sikorsky Aircraft

|designer=

|first flight=

|introduced=

|retired=

|status= Canceled

|primary user=

|number built=

|developed from= Sikorsky S-97 Raider

|variants with their own articles=

|developed into=

}}

The Sikorsky Raider X (stylized in all-caps as RAIDER X) (Sikorsky S-102{{citation |title=Sikorsky Lifts the Army |url=http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/sikorsky-lifts-the-army |periodical=Sikorsky Archives News |page=7 |accessdate=21 April 2025 |date=July 2022}}) is a compound helicopter concept with two coaxial rotors and a single pusher propeller, designed by the Sikorsky Aircraft division of Lockheed Martin for the United States Army Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program. The Raider X concept was announced in October 2019. In March 2020, the Army selected the Raider X and the Bell 360 Invictus from a field of five design concept candidates. The Raider X and 360 Invictus concepts were to be built as flying prototypes for a competition scheduled for 2023. The FARA program was canceled in 2024.

Development

Contracts were awarded in April 2019 to develop concept design candidates for FARA; five different teams were selected, including Sikorsky.{{cite news |author=Judson |first=Jen |date=23 April 2019 |title=US Army picks 5 teams to design new attack recon helicopter |url=https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/aaaa/2019/04/23/us-army-picks-5-teams-to-design-new-us-army-attack-recon-helicopter/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240110044307/https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/aaaa/2019/04/23/us-army-picks-5-teams-to-design-new-us-army-attack-recon-helicopter/ |archive-date=10 January 2024 |access-date=15 October 2019 |work=Defense News}}

Sikorsky presented the Raider X concept candidate at the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army on October 14, 2019. The Raider X concept was derived from the earlier Sikorsky S-97 Raider, which had been developed for the Army's Armed Aerial Scout program; the S-97 was in turn developed from the Sikorsky X2 prototype compound coaxial helicopter.{{cite news |author=Gallagher |first=Sean |date=14 October 2019 |title=Sikorsky makes its bid for Army's next scout copter |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/10/sikorsky-makes-its-bid-for-armys-next-scout-copter/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524182117/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/10/sikorsky-makes-its-bid-for-armys-next-scout-copter/ |archive-date=24 May 2023 |access-date=26 March 2020 |work=Ars Technica}} A larger Sikorsky–Boeing SB-1 Defiant was also developed from the X2 under the Army's Future Vertical Lift program to create a joint multi-role rotorcraft; the SB-1 was a candidate for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program.{{cite news |author=Parsons |first=Dan |date=16 March 2020 |title=Bell's Valor, Sikorsky/Boeing Defiant advance in U.S. Army Future Assault Aircraft program |url=https://www.verticalmag.com/news/bell-valor-boeing-sikorsky-defiant-flraa-selection/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409121207/https://verticalmag.com/news/bell-valor-boeing-sikorsky-defiant-flraa-selection/ |archive-date=9 April 2023 |access-date=26 March 2020 |work=Vertical}} The Sikorsky compound helicopter designs all use coaxial rigid rotors and a pusher propeller, which Sikorsky has collectively named "X2 Technology".{{cite web |title=Game-changing X2 Technology™ for Future Tactical Missions |url=https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/x2-helicopter-technology-demonstrator.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213122832/https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/x2-helicopter-technology-demonstrator.html |archive-date=13 December 2023 |access-date=26 March 2020 |website=Lockheed Martin}}

On March 25, 2020, the Army selected the Raider X and Bell 360 Invictus concept design candidates to proceed to an eventual flight competition;{{cite news |author=Host |first=Pat |date=25 March 2020 |title=US Army selects Bell, Sikorsky for FARA-CP programme |url=https://www.janes.com/article/95110/us-army-selects-bell-sikorsky-for-fara-cp-programme |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504002922/https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-selects-bell-sikorsky-for-fara-cp-programme |archive-date=4 May 2021 |access-date=26 March 2020 |work=Jane's Defence Weekly}} flying prototypes of each candidate design will be constructed, followed by test flights in 2022 leading up to a competitive flying demonstration no later than fall 2023.{{cite news |author=Judson |first=Jen |date=3 October 2018 |title=US Army triggers design competition for future attack reconnaissance helicopter |url=https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/10/03/us-army-triggers-design-competition-for-future-attack-reconnaissance-helicopter/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240110035325/https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/10/03/us-army-triggers-design-competition-for-future-attack-reconnaissance-helicopter/ |archive-date=10 January 2024 |access-date=15 October 2019 |work=Defense News}}{{cite news |author=Reim |first=Garrett |date=25 March 2020 |title=US Army selects Bell and Sikorsky to build FARA prototypes |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopters/us-army-selects-bell-and-sikorsky-to-build-fara-prototypes/137538.article |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408162912/https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopters/us-army-selects-bell-and-sikorsky-to-build-fara-prototypes/137538.article |archive-date=8 April 2020 |access-date=26 March 2020 |work=FlightGlobal}} Sikorsky had already begun construction of its Raider X prototype by February 2020.{{cite news |author=Judson |first=Jen |date=20 February 2020 |title=Lockheed's Raider X enters construction in advance of US Army's decision on way forward |url=https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/02/20/lockheeds-raider-x-already-under-construction/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200224063938/https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/02/20/lockheeds-raider-x-already-under-construction/ |archive-date=24 February 2020 |access-date=26 March 2020 |work=Defense News}}

The US Army is cancelling its next generation Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, service officials announced on 8 February 2024,{{cite news |last1=Everstine |first1=Brian |last2=Trimble |first2=Steve |title=U.S. Army Cancels FARA In Overhaul Of Aviation Plans |url=https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/us-army-cancels-fara-overhaul-aviation-plans |access-date= 10 February 2024 |work=Aviation Week Intelligence Network |publisher=Informa Markets |date= 8 February 2024}} taking a potential multi-billion-dollar contract off the table and throwing the service’s long-term aviation plans into doubt.

Raider X was powered up in April 2024, but Sikorsky has no plans for flights.{{cite web | url=https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopters/sikorsky-powers-up-raider-x-prototype-but-has-no-plans-to-fly/158011.article | title=Sikorsky powers up Raider X prototype but has no plans to fly }}

Design

The Raider X, as required by FARA program specifications, is designed to use a single General Electric T901 engine.{{cite web |author=Worley |first=Sam |date=17 October 2019 |title=Meet Raider-X, America's Next-Gen Chopper |url=https://www.ge.com/reports/blades-of-glory-meet-raider-x-americas-next-gen-chopper/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113023943/https://www.ge.com/news/reports/blades-of-glory-meet-raider-x-americas-next-gen-chopper |archive-date=13 November 2021 |access-date=26 March 2020 |website=Blades of Glory [blog] |publisher=General Electric}} The GE T901 was developed under the Army's Improved Turbine Engine Program as the new engine for existing and future Army rotorcraft.{{cite news |author=Judson |first=Jen |date=15 April 2019 |title=Army sees path to accelerate ITEP engine program with GE |url=https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/aaaa/2019/04/15/army-sees-path-to-accelerate-itep-engine-program-with-ge/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190415132803/https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/aaaa/2019/04/15/army-sees-path-to-accelerate-itep-engine-program-with-ge/ |archive-date=15 April 2019 |access-date=26 March 2020 |work=Defense News}} Based on S-97 and X2 performance, Raider X is expected to have a maximum speed exceeding {{convert|250|kn|abbr=on}} with a service ceiling greater than {{convert|9000|ft}}. Sikorsky considers the S-97 to be an 80% scale model of Raider X; Raider X is expected to weigh {{convert|14000|lb|abbr=on}}.{{cite news |author=Parsons |first=Dan |date=14 October 2019 |title=Sikorsky reveals Raider X for Army's FARA program |url=https://www.verticalmag.com/news/sikorsky-reveals-raider-x-for-armys-fara-program/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119050959/https://verticalmag.com/news/sikorsky-reveals-raider-x-for-armys-fara-program/ |archive-date=19 January 2022 |access-date=26 March 2020 |work=Vertical}} Swift Engineering will design and build the fuselage.{{Cite web |date=23 December 2019 |title=Swift Engineering Selected for the Design and Construction of FARA Airframe for Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company |url=https://www.swiftengineering.com/press/swift-engineering-selected-for-the-design-and-construction-of-fara-airframe-for-sikorsky-a-lockheed-martin-company/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601062839/https://www.swiftengineering.com/press/swift-engineering-selected-for-the-design-and-construction-of-fara-airframe-for-sikorsky-a-lockheed-martin-company/ |archive-date=1 June 2023 |website=Swift Engineering}}

The cockpit uses side-by-side seats instead of the tandem seating typical of American attack helicopters; internal weapons and sensors are mounted using a modular system, in accordance with FARA specifications, to anticipate future upgrades and obsolescence.

Specifications (Raider X)

{{Aircraft specs

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|eng1 number= 1

|eng1 name= General Electric T901

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|eng1 shp=3000

|eng1 note= (main powerplant)

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|rot number=2

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References

External links

[https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/fara-raider-x.html Raider X] at Lockheed Martin

Category:Coaxial rotor helicopters

Category:Compound helicopters

Category:United States military helicopters

Raider X

Category:2020s United States helicopters

Category:2020s United States attack aircraft

Category:Single-turbine helicopters