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Old 23rd May 2015, 15:12
  #66 (permalink)  
NickLappos
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: USA
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What a gas to watch the next generation of Sikorsky pilots take to the sky in a new design! Raider (and its big brother Defiant) are the new boys on the block, with a nice blend of low speed agility (akin to the BK-105) and high speed load factor and cruise payload efficiency (much better than helicopters, approaching that of Tilt Rotors, and much better than winged compounds.)

The Raider is a rapid prototype, but it is a practical aircraft, akin to a Y plane as a pre-production prototype. It has many prime components that can go straight to production, saving much time if a customer requires fast delivery.

The flight was terrific, all as expected. Here is some info on the aircraft:

Sikorsky S-97 RAIDER?

Sikorsky S-97 Raider - Concept Light / Attack Helicopter - History, Specs and Pictures - Military Aircraft

Sikorsky S-97 Raider Specification & Technical Data | Defence Aviation

For those with sharp eyes, like SplineDrive, the space between the heads has a standpipe that is stationary, allowing a nice fairing to be fitted to fill in that area, and dropping drag by quite a bit. The transmission design team in Ft. Worth thought that up, it could be worth an additional 5 to 10 knots.

Last edited by NickLappos; 23rd May 2015 at 15:53.
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