Originally Posted by
rrekn
Without being cynical about supporting the US military industrial base... now that Bell have won FLRAA, Sikorsky will be handed FARA.
Say hello to the new Apache... the Chippewa?
Industrial base concerns will no doubt be take into account "off the record", but that'll be part of the decision. It's important to keep in mind that this is Army's
fifth attempt to replace the OH-58. They can't afford to fail again.
The contenders are approaching this with different philosophies. Bell is offering an advanced conventional helo that they say will meet or exceed Army's requirements with presumably lower risk and cost. Sikorsky is going to propose a vehicle will likely be higher risk and cost, but they will contend that their bird will have enough advantages in performance to justify paying extra to get it. This competition doesn't look like it's going to be a pure price shootout like the Air Force's. T-X competition mostly was.
Sikorsky can point to the fact that their S-97 has been flying for over seven years and has or more flight hours under its belt. OTOH, it's missed numerous announced goals and Sikorsky admits that it will not reach its promised speed. Fortunately, FARA required speeds are lower than what Sikorsky was hoping for with S-97.
So this looks like a true flyoff will be a big part of the decision. If Sikorsky can deliver what they promised at an acceptable risk and they aren't inordinately more expensive, they stand a good shot. However, if Bell achieves its goals and is dramatically cheaper, that could tip things their way. The fact that Raider-X could easily be built in another version that could include an small internal cabin instead of weapons (it doesn't look like it will be hot swappable; (Bell has a patent where an Invictus' wings are popped off and six people ride in basic seats against the fuselage on the outside) would bee a plus as a tiebreaker, but can't be a deciding factor because the Army never asked for a cabin so the lack of one can't count against a competitor. Invictus looks like it can carry more weapons if it offloads some fuel by using the two store stations on the wings, but that also can't be a deciding factor because both contenders can carry the Amy's specified load.
If both aircraft deliver what they promise and essentially tie overall, industrial base could figure in, but that issue doesn't make it a slam dunk for Sikorsky. Look at it this way (this is an example, not a prediction): If both contenders absolutely meet all their promises but Raider-X with its higher permanence has a program three times the cost of Invictus(unlikely, I'm just trying to make a point), would you award to Sikorsky on Industrial base grounds?
Of course none of this addresses the issue that some time back the Progrram Manger said that an aircraft that meets all the Army FARA specs can't be built.