This aerial vehicle is considered to hold the key to the advancement of aviation in military applications.
Demonstrating the impressive capabilities of Sikorsky’s X2 Technology™ family of helicopters, the Sikorsky S-97 RAIDER® helicopter showcased its agile, fast, and expertly executed maneuvers during two presentations at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama this week.
These events provided a glimpse into Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company’s bid for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, which is part of the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) initiative aimed at modernizing its aircraft fleet. Sikorsky operates as a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Company.
The S-97 RAIDER, innovatively funded by Sikorsky, represents the cutting-edge FARA aircraft flying today and provides risk reduction for Sikorsky’s FARA concept, RAIDER X®, a fast, agile, survivable compound coaxial helicopter that will enable future aviators to address evolving peer and near-peer threats in the most challenging environments.
RAIDER X will fully integrate the strengths of Lockheed Martin, such as digital thread, advanced manufacturing, sustainment, training, and weapon and mission system development, manufacture, and integration. At Sikorsky, the digital thread is built into current programs and is being utilized today in Sikorsky’s digital advanced manufacturing facility.
This comprehensive, holistic life-cycle approach seamlessly encompasses the design, development, production, supply chain, and sustainment processes. Today, all of Sikorsky’s programs are born in a digital environment.
The power of this digital thread drives affordability, productivity, and reliability across the aircraft lifecycle. In addition to the FAIᎠER competition, Sikorsky and Boeing are offering the DEFIAᎠT X for the army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition. With RAIDER X and DEFIAᎠT X, the army could have a common, scalable aircraft with the mission advantage the army is looking for.
Both FAIᎠER and FLRAA are among the army’s top modernization priorities meant to address peer-to-peer threats in the multi-domain operations (MDO) of 2030 and beyond.
On April 13 and 15 at Redstone, Sikorsky’s Christian Corey and Bill Felli piloted the S-97 RAIDER flights that highlighted both low-level helicopter maneuverability and the high-speed capability that only Sikorsky’s X2 Technology family of helicopters offers. Corey previously flew with the first army experimental test pilot in S-97 RAIDER, with additional events to come.
Sikorsky has been flying and testing X2 Technology for more than a decade, accumulating nearly 500 hours on its X2 Technology test beds and aircraft, including the X2 Technology Demonstrator, RAIDER, and DEFIAᎠT. Sikorsky’s facility in Cummings Research Park in Huntsville houses about 100 employees dedicated to supporting Future Vertical Lift, U.S.
Army Black Hawk helicopters and other military aviation programs are also located in Huntsville. Sikorsky’s RAIDER X Portable Full-Mission Simulator (PFMS) is also situated there. The simulator consists of a full cockpit with a wrap-around dome for out-the-window visuals that can be updated as the system matures. In addition to basic flying, the cockpit simulates sensors, weapons, and a variety of tactical environments.
