Name | RAH-66 "Comanche"(Boeing Helicopter Company and Sikorsky Aircraft Division (joint venture) ) |
Type | Stealth Reconnaissance Helicopter |
Year | 2002 |
Engine | Two T800 1,440 SHP gas turbine |
Length | 46.78 feet (rotor turning) |
Height | 11.0 feet (overall) |
Width | 39.04 feet (rotor turning) |
Weight | Empty: 7,765 pounds
Combat Mission :10,600 pounds |
Max. speed | 330 km/hr / 172 knots -
Dash speed 315 km/hr / 164 knots - Dash speed
( 4,000 feet/95oF / with Longbow) 310 km/hr / 161 knots - Cruise speed |
Operational Range | 262 nm Max Range (internal
fuel)
1,260 nm self-deployment range |
Rate-of-Climb Vertical | 500-850 feet per minut |
Crew | 2 in tandem :(pilot in rear, copilot/gunner in front) |
Mission Equipment | Centralized processing architecture
with Ada software
Target acquisition system with aided-target detection/classification and automatic target tracking; night vision pilotage system, wide field-of-view (35ox52o) helmet-mounted display. |
Armament | Air-to-air Stinger
Hellfire 20mm three-barrel turreted gun Hydra-70 rockets |
The first Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche prototype was rolled-out at
Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford, Connecticut, May 25,
1995. The prototype's first flight was made on 04 January 1996. The
second prototype is scheduled to fly in late March 1999.
Six early operational capability aircraft are scheduled to be delivered
2002 to participate in an Army field exercise in
2002-2003, or possibly later in "Corps 04". The Comanche is powered
by two Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Co. (LHTEC)
T800-801 engines. These advanced engines and a streamlined airframe
will be enable the Comanche to fly significantly faster
than the larger AH-64 Apache.
The RAH-66 Comanche helicopter's primary role will be to seek out enemy
forces and designate targets for the AH-64
Apache Attack helicopter at night, in adverse weather, and in battlefield
obscurants, using advanced infrared sensors. The
helmet has FLIR images and overlaid symbology that can be used as a
headup display in nape-of-the-earth (NOE) flight.
The aircraft has been designed to emit a low-radar signature (stealth
features). The Comanche will perform the attack mission
itself for the Army's light divisions. The RAH-66 will be used as a
scout and attack helicopter to include an air-to-ground and
air-to-air combat capability. The Comanche is slated to replace the
AH-1 Series Cobra light attack helicopter, the OH-6A
Cayuse, and the OH-58A/OH-58C Kiowa light observation helicopters.
The Comanche mission equipment package consists of a turret-mounted
cannon, night-vision pilotage system, helmet-mounted
display, electro-optical target acquisition and designation system,
aided target recognition, and integrated
communication/navigation/identification avionics system. Targeting
includes a second generation forward-looking infrared
(FLIR) sensor, a low-light-level television, a laser range finder and
designator, and the Apache Longbow millimeter wave radar
system. Digital sensors, computers and software will enable the aircraft
to track and recognize advesarys long before they are
aware of the Comanche's presence, a key advantage in both the reconnaissance
and attack roles.
Aided target detection and classification software will automatically
scan the battlefield, identifying and prioritizing targets. The
target acquisition and communications system will allow burst transmissions
of data to other aircraft and command and control
systems. Digital communications links will enable the crew unparalleled
situational awareness, making the Comanche an integral
component of the digital battlefield.
The armament subsystems consist of the XM301 20mm cannon, and up to
14 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, 28 Air-to-Air Stinger
(ATAS) anti-aircraft missiles, or 56 2.75 inch Hydra 70 air-to-ground
rockets carried internally and externally. Up to four
Hellfire and two Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) missiles can be stowed in
fully-retractable weapons bays and the gun can be
rotated to a stowed position when not in use. This design feature reduces
both drag and radar signature.
Mission management, status, and control information is provided over
the MIL-STD-1553B databus between the mission
equipment packages and the Turreted Gun System. The Comanche will have
enhanced maintainability through it's modular
electronics architecture and built-in diagnostics.
RAH-66 COMANCHE CAPABILITIES
Sensors and avionics. In the reconnaissance role, the Comanche will
be equipped with a new generation of passive sensors
and a fully integrated suite of displays and communications. Advance
infrared (IR) sensors will have twice the range of
OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and AH-64 Apache sensors. The Comanche will be
equipped with the Apache Longbow fire control
radar and the Helmet Integrated Display and Sight System (HIDSS). The
fully integrated avionics system will allow tactical data
to be overlaid onto a digital map, allowing the crew to devote more
time for target detection and classification. A
triple-redundant fly-by-wire system can automatically hold the helicopter
in hover or in almost any other maneuver, reducing
workload, allowing the pilot to concentrate on navigation and threat
avoidance. A hand-on grip permits one-handed operation.
Stealth characteristics. The Comanche incorporates more low-observable
stealth features than any aircraft in Army history.
The Comanche radar cross-section (RCS) is less than that of a Hellfire
missile. To reduce radar cross-section, weapons can be
carried internally, the gun can be rotated aft and stowed within a
fairing behind the turret when not in use, and the landing gear
are fully-retractable. The all-composite fuselage sides are flat and
canted and rounded surfaces are avoided by use of faceted
turret and engine covers. The Comanche's head-on RCS is 360 times smaller
than the AH-64 Apache, 250 times less than the
smaller OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, and 32 times smaller than the OH-58D's
mast-mounted sight. This means the Comanche will
be able to approach five times closer to an enemy radar than an Apache,
or four times closer than an OH-58D, without being
detected.
Noise suppression. The Comanche only radiates one-half the rotor noise
of current helicopters. Noise is reduced by use of a
five-bladed rotor, pioneered by the successful Boeing (McDonnell Douglas)
MD-500 Defender series of light utility helicopters.
The fantail eliminates interaction between main rotor and tail rotor
wakes. The advanced rotor design permits operation at low
speed, allowing the Comanche to sneak 40% closer to a target than an
Apache, without being detected by an acoustical
system.
Infrared (IR) suppression. The Comanche only radiates 25% of the engine
heat of current helicopters, a critical survivability
design concern in a low-flying tactical scout helicopter. The Comanche
is the first helicopter in which the infrared (IR)
suppression system is integrated into the airframe. This innovative
Sikorsky design feature provides IR suppressors that are built
into the tail-boom, providing ample length for complete and efficient
mixing of engine exhaust and cooling air flowing through
inlets above the tail. The mixed exhaust is discharged through slots
built into an inverted shelf on the sides of the tail-boom. The
gases are cooled so thoroughly that a heat-seeking missile cannot find
and lock-on to the Comanche.
Crew Protection. The Comanche features a crew compartment sealed for
protection against chemical or biological threats, an
airframe resilient against ballistic damage, enhanced crash-worthiness,
and reduced susceptibility to electromagnetic
interference.
Maintainability Comanche will be easily sustained, will require fewer
personnel and support equipment, and will provide a
decisive battlefield capability in day, night and adverse weather operations.
Comanche has been designed to be exceptionally
maintainable and easily transportable. Through its keel-beam construction,
numerous access panels, easily accessible
line-replaceable units/modules and advanced diagnostics, the RAH-66
possesses "designed-in" maintainability. Comanche
aircraft will be able to be rapidly loaded into or unloaded from any
Air Force transport aircraft.