New pictures of the latest mods on S-97. Interesting comment 'way down inside the article' and they made mention of how much 'pointier' the nose is on this prototype.
Its modular effects launchers are extended but can be folded into the fuselage to reduce drag during flight. Those pods can also be loaded with other munitions, including air-launched drones. They also can be removed to clear space for assault troops or casualty evacuation.
If you look at the Army's decision to drop the OH-58D and go with "attack helicopters (AH-64) + drones" as their concept for armed reconnaissance, this is an interesting way to achieve that. You could also just load a few hellfires or other Air to Ground munitions based on the mission. The 3 barrel 20mm is hopefully common to this and the Marine AH-1Z (Viper). Joint logistics and all that ... and note that they got rid of that "tail wheel in the tail" in favor of a more conventional tricycle landing gear configuration.
