As the US Army grapples with the future shape of its attack and scout helicopter fleet, the Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche has delivered a timely shot in the arm to those plans with the first flight of the second prototype just prior to Paris.
The aircraft featured the newly-installed mission equipment package (MEP) software and new LHTEC T800-LHT-801 engines. The programme team says the first flight date was several weeks ahead of schedule and Comanche programme office director Chuck Allen describes the event as "a great achievement for the restructured programme".
Test pilots Rus Stiles and Reggie Murrell were at the controls for the 1.4 hour flight, during which the aircraft achieved maximum forward flight speed of 170kt (315km/h) and carried out manoeuvres including hover and left and right hover turns.
The second prototype was taken off flight status in May 2001 for installation of the new powerplant and for integration testing of the MEP, which is the foundation of the aircraft's operating system.
Mission
Numerous changes to the proposed mission of Comanche have been implemented since the concept was born in the mid 1980s. From an initial requirement of just over 2,000 machines, this was whittled down first to 1,292 helicopters and following the most recent Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) review was cut again to just 650 aircraft.
At the same time, the platform's core mission has gone full circle. Initially designed to be an armed reconnaissance machine, Comanche was later repositioned as the successor to the Apache. However, detailed reviews have since reversed that position, with programme leaders clear that Comanche is not targeted as a direct replacement for the Apache's tank-killing capability, but rather it will be the eyes and ears of the battlefield.
Initial deployment of the Block 1 aircraft has been delayed by almost three years to late 2009, with funds cut from production instead being channelled into development, swelling the engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) budget to around $6.5 billion.
Projected unit cost for Comanche is $32m, with effort being focussed on reducing that figure during development.
Source: Flight Daily News
