US helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky has released footage of its S-97 Raider prototype showing off its capabilities.
The video shows the compound helicopter performing several maneuvers and its high-speed cruise mode.
The 11,000 lb (5,000kg) S-97 is a compound helicopter based on Lockheed Martin’s X2 Technology that uses lift-offset coaxial rotors with a pusher propeller and variable speed drive.
The attack helicopter has a top speed of 280mph (440km/h) and can carry up to 6 troops and 2 pilots. Development of the X2 technology began more than 15 years ago and the prototype S- made its first flight in 2015.
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company recently missed out on a lucrative US$7.1 billion contract to build the US Army’s next attack helicopter, the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter replacement. The company’s Defiant X, based on the same X2 technology, lost out to Bell’s V-280 Valor.
