Experimental Aircraft Had Been Grounded Following A Hard Landing Last Year

The S-97 Raider experimental coaxial helicopter has been cleared to move into a full flight test program with a second prototype aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin.

Defense News reports that the company's vice president for future vertical lift said that the new aircraft began ground testing on april 25 in West Palm Beach, FL.

In a statement June 20, Dan Spoor told Defense News that the aircraft, flown by pilot Bell Fill and John Groth, operated the Raider for 90 minutes during its initial test flight, completing the flight-test card. It marked a "significant milestone" for the program, Spoor said. "We look forward to demonstrating to the U.S. military that high flight speed and extraordinary maneuverability in the hover and low-speed regimes will dramatically change the way that military aviators fly and fight with helicopters," he said.

Sikorsky believes it has resolved the issue with the coaxial rotor system that led to the hard landing last year. It is also being used in the SB-1 Defiant demonstrators which is being developed in conjunction with Boeing for the Army's Joint Multi-Role demonstration. Defiant is expected to fly for the first time by the end of the year.

The Raider aircraft had flown a speeds up to 150 knots before the hard landing incident. Sikorsky says its plan this summer is to push the speed above 200 knots, and expects to achieve speeds well above that benchmark.

(Image provided by Lockheed Martin)

FMI: Original report