Originally Posted by
chopper2004
Perhaps Sikorsky will have a chance with Raider X as I mentioned in my thread, that they are stating that the Raider X is perfect for the Indo-Pacific region
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us...u2LU8FR4pvmNvU
Maybe the DoD will give them a crack at the whip and give them FARA...
Also re X" tech, the Italians are keen on partnering with Sikorsky on using the tech for their next gen of rotary wing platforms...so all may be not lost with the X2.
cheers
Well, when you're trying to sell something, you'll say it's perfect for whatever you hope you can get someone to pay for it.
For Sikorsky to win FARA, they're going to have to
reliably show enough extra capability to overcome the technology's greater complexity and cost.
As for Italy partnering with Sikorsky, if they don't win FARA one wonders if they'd be willing to pay what it would cost to bring X2 to satisfactory levels. Last year one Italian defense official was quoted as saying she had reservations about Tilt-Rotor. The reason he gave clearly indicated he had probably been given information from a source that let's just say had a vested interest in not being a fan of Tilt-Rotor technology. More recently, at a February European defense conference, both the Italian Army and Air Force described the need for a Tilt-Rotor with a 250 knot cruise speed. This might also be included in the Army's Esercito 4.0 future model.