helicopters

Sikorsky RAIDER X

On Oct. 9, 2023, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, introduced RAIDER X, its concept for a fast, agile, survivable compound coaxial helicopter that will equip future aviators to address evolving peer and near-peer threats in the most difficult environments.

As the video in this post highlights, RAIDER X is specifically designed as a prototype for the US Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) prototype competition, part of the service’s effort to revolutionize its enduring aircraft fleet as part of what is known as Future Vertical Lift.

The last helicopter for attack reconnaissance mission

Nearly a decade ago, the US Army retired its last helicopter designed specifically for the attack reconnaissance mission – the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior. Since then, a combination of AH-64 Apache helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have filled in, performing the attack reconnaissance mission the best they could.

But near-peer threats demand next-generation aircraft specially designed to stay ahead of the fight through continuous evolution. Unlike the Kiowa Warrior, the FARA, Army Aviation’s top modernization priority, is a Division, Corps and Joint Forces-level strategic asset operating deep in the battlespace. And it’s the only reconnaissance platform that delivers deep reach providing a level of survivability never before obtained in Army Aviation.

Sikorsky RAIDER X Vs Bell 360 Invictus

Sikorsky, one of two companies vying for FARA (the other being Bell with the Bell 360 Invictus), is offering RAIDER X. Flying low and fast to stay hidden below the tree line, RAIDER X will deliver crucial intelligence and keep forces connected through a secure mesh network. Built to find, fix and finish anti-access/anti-denial (A2AD) and enemy forces, RAIDER X operates in contested environments at the front of the fight. It’s a sophisticated sensor, a central network hub and a powerful armed reconnaissance helicopter all in one.

“RAIDER X is a complete weapon system,” said Jay Macklin, Sikorsky’s director of Future Vertical Lift Business Development and a retired Army Aviator, in a Sikorsky news release. “It provides significant reach, survivability and lethality – much more than exists with today’s enduring fleet. RAIDER X will be plugged into the network as a key part of the combined arms force, enabling the ground commander to see and shape the battlefield.”

Army’s Modular Open Systems Approach

With an increasingly complex future threat environment and swift pace of technological change, enabling rapid upgrades and putting real-time decision-making closer to the fight is critical for mission success. RAIDER X is purpose-built with the Army’s Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), providing leap-ahead capability and enabling rapid upgrades. Its adaptability is the starting point for decades of innovation.

This merger of superior physical performance with transformational digital capabilities is exactly what Lockheed Martin’s 21st Century Security strategy seeks to achieve – helping warfighters meet the challenges of tomorrow’s multi-domain missions.

X2 technology

X2 technology, the foundation of Sikorsky’s co-axial rotorcraft design, enables RAIDER X to fly faster and farther than single main rotor helicopters while carrying a significant payload. The speed, range, and integrated mission systems of RAIDER X make it an especially effective and improved strategic asset in the vast expanses of the Indo-Pacific region.

X2 designs also allow for inherent growth of the weapon system compared to the limitations of single-main-rotor aircraft. All of these attributes allow RAIDER X to operate at greater ranges with superior closing speed-to-target and a high degree of situational awareness.

With its low- and high-speed maneuverability, RAIDER X excels in the lower-tier air domain (LTAD) – the space between the ground and 100 feet. RAIDER X is a networked sensor package supporting the joint domain. It significantly extends the battle area’s boundaries by scouting, coordinating and providing feedback through the management and sustainment of Launched Effects (LE) networks at the tactical edge, providing greater flexibility for the joint force commander.

Photo by Sikorsky / Lockheed Martin

‘Fighter pilots who face a trained, deadly and sneaky adversary in an attack helicopter will always see its missiles and guns, and never see a fleeing bunny to add to the kill list,’ Nick Lappos, former US Army AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter pilot

An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications.

Modern attack helicopters are able to provide security to ground forces, fixed based operations, and aerial escorts; conduct reconnaissance to provide situational awareness to ground forces and higher headquarters; and decisively engage single or multiple enemy combatants to allow freedom of maneuver or protection. They maneuver into enemy territory to conduct deep attacks on strategic targets to set the conditions for favorable ground commander operations.

If properly flown, modern attack helicopters are even more than a match for most fighter airplanes in 1v1 air combat.

In 1978/79 US Army and US Air Force conducted a joint experiment called Joint Countering Attack Helicopter (J-CATCH). J-CATCH focused on dissimilar air combat between jet fighters and attack helicopters. To the surprise of many involved in the program, the helicopters proved extremely dangerous to the fighters when they were properly employed, racking up a 5-to-1 kill ratio over the fighters when fighting at close ranges with guns.

‘Ironically, Army aviation dominated the air,’ explained Caleb Posey, AH-64E Crew Chief at US Army, on Quora. ‘Air Force pilots were “shot down” without even knowing the helicopters were there. Apaches can hide in the radar clutter at tree top level, and use the INCREDIBLY sophisticated Longbow system to track literally hundreds of targets simultaneously. If I remember the numbers, the helicopters shot down ~5 fixed wing for ever chopper that got hit. Granted, this tested helos that were loaded with air to air weapons (NOT typical), but still… the Air Force left with the overall idea of “leave enemy helicopters the f**k alone.’

‘A well equipped attack helicopter flown by a trained crew will defeat most fighter airplanes in 1v1 air combat, should the fighter be foolish enough to drop down to try and engage,’ Nick Lappos, Technical Fellow Emeritus at Sikorsky and former US Army AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter pilot, said on Quora. ‘A helicopter immersed in ground clutter is very hard to detect by almost any means, and so is hard to engage. Meanwhile, the helicopter can be equipped with air to air missiles and large caliber guns that easily engage fighters as they maneuver at low altitudes against a blue sky in their attempts to engage the helicopter. The helicopter if properly flown will always maneuver to cut off the angle from the airplane, forcing impossibly steep closure maneuvers for the fighter. Typical helicopter turn rates are 30 to 40 degrees per second, three times that of the fighter, even at high g, so the fighter will find the helicopters weapons always engaging it during any serious contest. If the helicopter gun and missiles were selected for anti-aircraft (like the 30mm guns on the Mi-24 and KA-50/51), the results are that the attack helicopter becomes like a rapidly mobile SAM site, a very dangerous target.’

He continues:

‘It must be said that the fighter is only vulnerable if it drops down from its normal altitude to engage the helicopter. If the fighter stays high and prosecutes its normal mission, it is nearly invulnerable to the helicopter’s weapons.

‘I have personally flown many such engagements in trials, and the facts are obvious to fighter and helicopter pilots who know. The folks at MAWTS-1 pioneered the concepts I discuss above.

‘When I said clutter, I really meant “intelligent tactical use of clutter, obstructions and terrain”. In the blue sky you always envision, there is nowhere to hide and terrain is to be avoided as a potential threat, in Army combat, terrain is your friend, savior and battle buddy. Fighter pilots who face a trained, deadly and sneaky adversary in an attack helicopter will always see its missiles and guns, and never see a fleeing bunny to add to the kill list. While the fighter is in a blue sky, exposed to everybody within 10 miles, that attack helicopter is now sneaking below the ridge line with no clear line of sight, ready to pop up when the fighter shows its two hot tailpipes. And as far as Doppler radars seeing rotorblades, I have hundreds of hours in a 4th gen helicopter that made that statement quite problematic.’

Lappos concludes:

‘I have no idea why a fighter would engage an attack helicopter, and I can assure you if your erstwhile target is an Apache, KA-50 or Super Cobra with ATA missiles, expect to be surprised.’

Photo by U.S. Navy and Capt. Raymond Geoffroy / U.S. Air Force

Two aviators from the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s 302nd Squadron achieved 9,000 flight hours on the CH-47 Chinook helicopter on the same flight out of Fort Hood on Jun. 2, 2021.

Two aviators from the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s 302nd Squadron achieved 9,000 flight hours on the CH-47 Chinook helicopter on the same flight out of Fort Hood on Jun. 2, 2021, Alert5 first reported.

“It’s a unique moment and I’m proud of both of them,” Lt. Col. Martin t’ Jong, commander of the 302nd Dutch Squadron., 166th Aviation Brigade, First Army – Division West, said in the article American, Dutch aviators reach milestones together by Brandy Cruz, Fort Hood Public Affairs.

Dutch aviator Maj. Jaap Lokker made history with 5,000 accident-free flight hours on the Chinook. During the same flight, retired Chief Warrant Officer 3 Chris Ryan, a contractor with the squadron, hit his 4,000-hour mark on the Chinook.

“To put that in perspective, 4,000 hours is about half a year of straight flying,” Tim Pool, the Team Oranje site lead for the squadron, said. “That’s a lot of time in one seat.”

Lokker joined the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) as an aviator in 1980. After flying 3,997.5 hours in the Alouette, a French light utility helicopter, he became the first Dutch aviator to go through flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama, to be trained on the CH-47 Chinook.

“I’ve been flying for over 40 years,” Lokker said. “I have the most hours because I was the first and I continued to fly.”

Lokker said hitting the 5,000-hour milestone was special because both he and Ryan reached milestones together, and together had 9,000 hours of Chinook experience during that flight.

Ryan, who retired from the Army in 2018, thought he would never fly the Chinook again until he began working as a contractor with the 302nd Sqdn. two years ago. The 20-year veteran serves as an instructor pilot, standardization pilot, and instrument examiner for the squadron.

“When I retired I never thought I would fly Chinooks again, but it feels great,” Ryan said. “I enjoy this, I love it. It’s a great opportunity working with the Dutch out here and continue to keep flying.”

Lokker now has the 6,000-hour mark in his sights, although he said he has to retire in three years.

“Maybe I’ll come back as a contractor,” Lokker added. “Because I’m looking forward to continuing to fly.”

The RNLAF received the first CH-47F Chinook in April 2020. The service will operate a fleet of 20 CH-47F Chinooks, the newest configuration in use by countries worldwide.

The 20 CH-47F Chinooks will be a fleet equipped with the same state-of-the-art technology as the U.S. Army, including digital automatic flight controls, a fully-integrated Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) glass cockpit, and advanced cargo handling capabilities. The common configuration leads to lower overall life cycle costs.

The RNLAF currently flies a mix of F-model Chinooks with the Advanced Cockpit Management System (ACMS) and CH-47D Chinooks.

Chinooks are currently in service or under contract with 20 international defense forces, including the US Army, US Special Operations Forces, and eight NATO member nations.

Photo by Brandy Cruz, Fort Hood Public Affairs / U.S. Army

The F-35C and rigging weighed about 22,000 pounds. The CH-53K is currently cleared to conduct a 27,000-pound external lift and is projected to be cleared for a 36,000-pound external lift

A CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) performed an external load certification lift of an inoperable F-35 Lightning II airframe in December at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland. According to a NAVAIR News Release, the lift was to evaluate the load and inform future lift capabilities.

The CH-53K is the most powerful helicopter ever developed by the US government. This new-build helicopter will continue to fill the CH-53E Super Stallion mission as a pillar of logistics and assault support for the US Marine Corps (USMC) efforts but with significant improvements such as state-of-the-art, fly-by-wire technology reducing pilot work load, contributing to aircraft stability, and improving overall safety. The recent full-rate production decision for the CH-53K is validation of the aircraft’s value to the USMC and last month’s test lift is one more demonstration of its performance and reliability.

The NAS Patuxent River F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) test team, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Cargo Lab, and others ensured a successful lift and flight by conducting load certification testing, sling configuration analysis, and cargo characteristics documentation as required. Data from the tests will inform the flight envelope for future events. An earlier crane test lift verified the sling, rig, pitch, and bank attitudes of the jet, and control surface states.

The aircraft lifted is a developmental test carrier variant F-35C fighter jet that had accrued 750 flight hours during 450 test flights between 2010 and 2016. The F-35C and rigging weighed about 22,000 pounds after the removal of its mission and propulsion systems, outer wings, and additional equipment.

The CH-53K is currently cleared to conduct a 27,000-pound external lift and is projected to be cleared for a 36,000-pound external lift, nearly three times more under high, hot conditions than its predecessor, the CH-53E.

The CH-53K King Stallion advances Sikorsky’s 50 years of manufacturing and operational success with its CH-53A, CH-53D/G, and CH-53E predecessors.

The CH-53K helicopter has been designed and built to the exacting standards of the USMC and will serve as its critical land and sea-based logistics connector. The new heavy lifter will allow the USMC and international militaries to move troops and equipment from ship to shore and to higher altitude terrain, more quickly and effectively than ever before.

The King Stallion is also designed to have a smaller shipboard footprint, lower operating costs per aircraft, and fewer direct maintenance man hours per flight hour. The CH-53K is currently on track for its first fleet deployment in FY2024, in alignment with Marine Corps schedules and requirements. The USMC’s procurement objective is 200 helicopters.

In September 2021, the CH-53K performed its first operational mission by lifting a US Navy MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter from a 12,000-foot mountain top in California. That aircraft weighed approximately 15,000 pounds and was successfully transported 23 miles to Fallon, NV.

“This type of mission is precisely what the K was designed and built to do,” said Col. Kate Fleeger, program manager for the Heavy Lift Helicopter Program Office (PMA-261). “It continues to prove its value in support of Marine Corps operations, transporting equipment that no other rotary wing platform can lift.”

The CH-53K entered its full-rate production and deployment phase in December and is on schedule to declare Full Operational Capability in FY2029.

Photo by Kyra Helwick / U.S. Navy

HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopters were involved in their first real-world casualty evacuation operation in the African area of responsibility

A combined force of deployed US assets coordinated to save two lives of partner forces outside the wire in the Horn of Africa late this last December. The force consisted of HC-130J recovery aircraft and Guardian Angels from the 347th Rescue Group, as well as HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopters in their first real-world casualty evacuation operation in the African area of responsibility (AOR).

As told by Tech. Sgt. Jayson Burns, 435th Air Expeditionary Wing, in the article Rescue force successfully saves two in first HH-60W combat CASEVAC in Africa AOR, the HH-60W and its sister squadrons are assigned to the Personnel Recovery Task Force (PRTF) under the direction of the 449th Air Expeditionary Group and the Joint Personnel Recovery Center (JPRC). The special capabilities and training of the HH-60W and its crews make it a unique capability with the AOR that enables commanders to reduce the overall risk to mission and risk to force.

“The PRTF is specifically manned, trained, and equipped to rapidly respond to emergency battlefield situations to return American, allied and partner forces to friendly control,” said Lt. Col. Thaddeus Ronnau, commander of the PRTF and regional director of the JPRC at Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. “While personnel may be behind enemy lines, or far from needed support, this team is equipped to travel great distances and fight their way in and out if necessary to make the mission happen.”

Alert crews were activated during the pre-dawn hours and responded quicker than the required theater response times. The initial pick up of the injured was quick, and the team was in and out of the area without incident. They then immediately made for the nearest medical facility for trauma surgery while the Pararescuemen performed their own stabilizing emergency medical care in the aircraft’s cabin. The HC-130Js were then called to swiftly move the most seriously wounded member to another location for further treatment. Both lives were saved.

“Everyone responded with complete professionalism, doing exactly what we train to do. We couldn’t have done it without the whole team,” said Capt. Abby Norwood of the 303rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron.

The successful recovery of isolated and/or injured persons is a force multiplier that transcends the tactical to the operational and strategic levels. It preserves critical resources and is a key element in sustaining the morale, cohesion, and fighting capability of joint and friendly forces. In particular, by bringing the team directly to the location, the HH-60W can shorten the time required to rescue an isolated and/or wounded individual.

As already reported, Gen. Mark Kelly, commander of Air Combat Command, declared the HH-60W Jolly Green II has reached initial operational capability on Oct. 4, 2022.

The declaration signifies that the US Air Force (USAF) now possesses sufficient HH-60Ws, logistics requirements and trained Airmen to support a 30-day deployment to any independent location with a package of four aircraft.

As the sole dedicated combat rescue platform in the Department of Defense, the Jolly Green II Combat Rescue Helicopter builds on the decades-long legacy of USAF combat rescue and recapitalizes the critical combat search and rescue fleet providing USAF combat rescue warriors with the best capability for their critical and demanding lifesaving mission. The HH-60W Jolly Green II, which is replacing the aging HH-60G Pavehawk, was specially built for the Air Force’s combat rescue mission based on fully-vetted operational requirements.

Leveraging the proven survivability and reliability of the H-60M Black Hawk, the HH-60W Jolly Green II incorporates advanced digital design techniques, an open architecture for rapid mission system integration, an air refueling system, upgraded survivability and defensive systems, cabin and cockpit armor, integrated weapons, and increases main fuel tank capacity to 644 gallons. These advanced technologies enable the Jolly Green II to meet the Combatant Commander’s demands of today and the emerging Joint All Domain Operations (JADO) requirements in near-peer competition and win in conflict.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

The CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter has entered full-rate production and its deployment phase

The CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter has entered Full Rate Production (FRP) and its deployment phase, following a decision review by Frederick J. Stefany, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition.

FRP occurs at the end of Low Rate Initial Production following a review assessing the results of Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E), Live Fire Test and Evaluation, production readiness reviews, risk, and affordability analyses. On Dec. 21, the Acquisition Decision Memorandum was signed, authorizing entry of the CH-53K into FRP.

FRP is an important milestone for the H-53 Heavy Lift Program Office (PMA-261), as it allows the program to proceed beyond LRIP and begin increasing procurement quantities, thereby gaining production efficiencies and reducing unit costs.

“We have successfully demonstrated the performance and reliability of this aircraft,” said Col. Kate Fleeger, PMA-261 program manager, in NAVAIR news release. “With FRP we will continue to build on the strong manufacturing, sustainment, and support that has been established for the CH-53K.”

The US Marine Corps (USMC) continues to execute its transition from the CH-53E to the CH-53K and is on schedule to declare Full Operational Capability in FY2029.

PMA-261 manages the cradle-to-grave procurement, development, support, fielding, and disposal of the entire family of H-53 heavy-lift helicopters.

The CH-53K is the USMC heavy lift replacement for the CH-53E. The most powerful helicopter in the Department of Defense, the CH-53K is a new-build helicopter that will expand the fleet’s ability to move more material, more rapidly throughout the area of responsibility using proven and mature technologies.

Designed to lift 27,000 lbs/12,247 kg at a mission radius of 110 nautical miles (203 km), in Navy high/hot environments, the CH-53K is capable of lifting almost triple the baseline CH-53E lift capability. It is also designed to have a smaller shipboard footprint, lower operating costs per aircraft, and fewer direct maintenance man hours per flight hour. The CH-53K is currently on track for its first fleet deployment in FY2024, in alignment with Marine Corps schedules and requirements. The USMC’s procurement objective is 200 helicopters.

Photo by U.S. Marine Corps / U.S. Navy

The Bell V-280 has beaten the Sikorsky Defiant X to the US Army’s FLRAA program

Lockheed Martin Sikorsky and Boeing are challenging the US Army’s decision on the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) contract. As the prime contractor, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, filed the protest with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The statement from the Lockheed Martin Sikorsky-Boeing Team says:

‘Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, filed a formal protest today asking the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the US Army’s decision on the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) contract.

‘Based on a thorough review of the information and feedback provided by the Army, Lockheed Martin Sikorsky, on behalf of Team Defiant, is challenging the FLRAA decision. The data and discussions lead us to believe the proposals were not consistently evaluated to deliver the best value in the interest of the Army, our Soldiers, and American taxpayers. The critical importance of the FLRAA mission to the Army and our nation requires the most capable, affordable, and lowest-risk solution. We remain confident Defiant X is the transformational aircraft the Army requires to accomplish its complex missions today and well into the future.’

As already reported, the Bell V-280 has beaten the Sikorsky Defiant X to the US Army’s FLRAA program.

On Dec. 5, 2022, Bell Textron was awarded the development contract for the US Army’s FLRAA program. The award is based on Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor, which was developed and tested as part of the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD) program that began in 2013.

The initial contract refines the weapon system design, sustainment, digital enterprise, manufacturing, systems integration, flight-testing, and airworthiness qualification.

After Bell Textron was awarded the development contract for the US Army’s FLRAA program, Sikorsky released the following statement on the US Army FLRAA decision: ‘We remain confident Defiant X is the transformational aircraft the US Army requires to accomplish its complex missions today and well into the future. We will evaluate our next steps after reviewing feedback from the Army.’

Photo by Lockheed Martin Sikorsky, Bell via The Darth Designer and Team Defiant