Fly-Off
CC, your mention of the AAH fly off brought to mind some memories. You will recall that SA built the S-67 with company funds, and later, in 1971, equipped it with an external stores ( rockets and/or aux tanks ) and armament system. F-111 head up display with low light level TV, a 3-barrel 20 mm turret run off a helmet mounted display, ins driven dig-map etc, all pretty good stuff for that time.
By the time the AAH RFP came out, SA was in good position to compete, but was not selected for the fly-off. While the UH-60 started deliveries in 1978, the AH-64 didn't reach the Army until six years later. I was down at Ft Rucker shortly after that, and had a look at the AH-64 , which had adopted a flying stabilator. The way it is/was mounted, it was easy to look at the installation and the actuator. Guess what: the actuator part number started with 70xx.... It was a Sikorsky Blackhawk stabilator part. Nothing illegal, of course, as the design belonged to the government.
Water under the bridge, and I supposed that DOD did not want too many eggs in one basket, but I always believed that if SA had been selected for the AAH fly-off, the SA candidate would have won and certainly been in the hands of the Army pilots a lot earlier than 1984.
Thanks,
John