Check out the new design being proffered to replace the AH-64 platform as well as the scout function of the Kiowa birds. Very formidable looking craft.



https://www.nationaldefensemag...ut-helicopter-design

A Bell-Collins Aerospace Systems industry team unveiled the design for its Bell 360 Invictus aircraft, which it plans to submit for the Pentagon's future attack reconnaissance aircraft program.

“Bell is absolutely committed to providing the U.S. Army with the most affordable, most sustainable, lowest risk, least complex solution for FARA while meeting all the requirements,” said Keith Flail, vice president of advanced vertical lift systems at Bell.

The program aims to fill an important need for a scout platform following the divestment of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. The Bell-Collins Aerospace team is one of five industry players vying to build the Army’s new helicopter. The others are: Boeing, Sikorsky, an AVX Aircraft Co.-L3Harris Technologies team, and a Karem Aircraft-Raytheon-Northrop Grumman partnership.

The Invictus will leverage key technologies taken from the Bell 525 Relentless program, Flail said Oct. 1 during a briefing with reporters at Bell’s Arlington, Virginia, office. Information from the briefing was under press embargo until Oct. 2.

The Invictus helicopter has a single main rotor and a low-drag tandem cockpit fuselage. The system is powered by a single improved turbine engine built by General Electric and is also equipped with a supplemental power unit.

That technology “gives us that extra power and speed that we need,” Flail said.

The platform features an active horizontal stabilizer that keeps the aircraft at the lowest possible drag position, which is advantageous for ratcheting up to high speeds, he noted. It also includes a ducted, canted tail rotor, which aids high speed flight and improves lift. The aircraft's top speed will exceed 180 knots, which is an Army requirement, he added.

The system has a combat radius of 125 nautical miles and can carry a payload of 1,400 pounds. It is also transportable via C-17 aircraft.

The helicopter includes a fly-by-wire flight control system which reduces pilot workload and helps lay the groundwork for autonomous flight, according to Bell.
From a lethality standpoint, the Invictus is equipped with a 20 mm gun and has the ability to carry Hellfire missiles, rockets as well as "air-launched effects" that can be deployed from the body of the aircraft.

Bell recently announced that it was teaming up with Collins Aerospace — a unit of United Technologies Corp. — for the FARA competition. Bell will build the aircraft and Collins Aerospace will serve as the mission systems integrator, according to the companies.

The Army has been working to accelerate the FARA program. In the spring, it awarded five other transaction authority prototype agreements to industry for design work. Submissions are due in early 2020. The service plans to downselect to two vendors by March 2020. Those chosen will build prototypes for an eventual flyoff.

The future attack reconnaissance aircraft program is part of the Army’s future vertical lift effort, which is envisioned as a family of new helicopters that will replace the service’s aging platforms. It will include aircraft of various sizes. FARA is meant to fill what the service calls its capability set one, which will be the smallest platform in the family. The aircraft is the Army’s top priority for the future vertical lift initiative.

Jeffrey Schloesser, executive vice president of strategic pursuits at Bell, said FARA is meant to be a “knife-fighter” that’s able to operate in urban canyons and mixed terrain such as mountains, jungles and plains.

In order to achieve success in large-scale combat operations, the Army must be able to penetrate farther and degrade the enemy’s ability to engage aircraft or ground forces. The FARA platform is expected to meet that need, he said.

“We're fully on board supporting the Army and trying to do this,” he said. “We believe that we have a solution that can accomplish those missions. But it's also the lowest risk, and therefore will probably be the lowest-cost aircraft to be able to accomplish these missions," he added.

Some additional information on capability:
Some of the key 360 Invictus features include:

- Lift-sharing wing to reduce rotor lift demand in forward flight, enabling high-speed maneuverability
- Supplemental Power Unit increases performance during high power demands
- Robust articulated main rotor with high flapping capability enabling high speed flight
- Fly-by-wire flight control system—synthesizes technologies, reduces pilot workload and provides a path to autonomous flight
- Speed: >185 KTAS
- Combat radius: 135nm with >90 minutes of time on station
- Achieves 4k/95F Hover Out of Ground Effect (HOGE)
- Armed with a 20 mm cannon, integrated munitions launcher with ability to integrate air-launched effects, and future weapons, as well as current inventory of munitions
- Provisioned for enhanced situational awareness and sensor technologies
- Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) enabled by a Digital Backbone from Collins Aerospace
- Robust design integrating lifecycle supportability processes early to ensure high OPTEMPO availability in multi-domain operations
- Design-as-built manufacturing model and digital thread enabled tools to enhance affordability, reliability, and training throughout the lifecycle of the aircraft

Those that play Arma 3 know that chopper as the Blackfoot, lol!

Comanche 2.0?

Airwolf?

quote:

Originally posted by Snake207:
Comanche 2.0?

HA!
Exactly what I though, looks a lot like the AH-66 Sikorsky tried to sell 25 years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by navyshooter:

quote:

Originally posted by Snake207:
Comanche 2.0?

HA!
Exactly what I though, looks a lot like the AH-66 Sikorsky tried to sell 25 years ago.

Do you mean Lockheed's AH-56?

https://www.army.mil/article/2...ay_ahead_of_its_time

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:

quote:

Originally posted by navyshooter:

quote:

Originally posted by Snake207:
Comanche 2.0?

HA!
Exactly what I though, looks a lot like the AH-66 Sikorsky tried to sell 25 years ago.

Do you mean Lockheed's AH-56?

https://www.army.mil/article/2...ay_ahead_of_its_time

Nope, the Boeing / Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche

https://www.militaryfactory.co...l.asp?aircraft_id=49

Let me be the first to say it, because someone will eventually (whether it's true or not): 20mm isn't gonna cut it; that thing needs a 30mm cannon!

quote:

Originally posted by navyshooter:

quote:

Originally posted by Snake207:
Comanche 2.0?

HA!
Exactly what I though, looks a lot like the AH-66 Sikorsky tried to sell 25 years ago.

Glad it's not just me. LOL

needs way more ordnance

-------------------------------

I'm always skeptical when I see a CGI image of a fancy new weapon system and the picture is put out by the manufacturer making the system, rather than the federal customer buying the system.

I wonder how much of this marketing hype, and how much is "Big Army will actually buy this".

Reminds me of the liquid propellant Crusader gun system that was going to revolutionize Army artillery, or the F-20 Tigershark pushed by General Chuck Yeager!

Anyone remember the Sergeant York Mobile Antiaircraft Gun System?

quote:

The system is powered by a single improved turbine engine built by General Electric and is also equipped with a supplemental power unit.

In other words, a hybrid!

quote:

Originally posted by navyshooter:

quote:

Originally posted by Snake207:
Comanche 2.0?

HA!
Exactly what I though, looks a lot like the AH-66 Sikorsky tried to sell 25 years ago.

My company had the casework subcontract for the Comanche training building at Ft. Rucker. Big beautiful building. We were on the final-final punch when W cancelled the Comanche. Heard it on the evening news. I couldn't believe it: we worked long and hard to get that building ready on time. It was re-purposed for Apache training.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
Let me be the first to say it, because someone will eventually (whether it's true or not): 20mm isn't gonna cut it; that thing needs a 30mm cannon!

Logistics, power, re-arm and space aside ...
Well, I'll say it ... rail gun.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
Let me be the first to say it, because someone will eventually (whether it's true or not): 20mm isn't gonna cut it; that thing needs a 30mm cannon!

It also needs a hell of a lot more range than 125 NM. That's nothing.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

It also needs a hell of a lot more range than 125 NM. That's nothing.

I was headed to review current helicopter specs. That sure doesn't seem that great

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

It also needs a hell of a lot more range than 125 NM. That's nothing.

I was headed to review current helicopter specs. That sure doesn't seem that great

It has to actually be a 250+ mile range. The 125 is a combat radius.

From the article, the 125nm range is "combat range," meaning it can undertake combat missions out to 125nm from its landing/refuel base.

The Apache apparently has a ~250nm combat range.

That might not be apples to apples comparisons, i.e.., the 125nm number might be with maximum payload and no external fuel tanks and the 250nm number might be under different conditions. Of course, the comparison could also be wrong the other direction and make the new helicopter even worse in comparison to the apache.

Looks like a millenial tampon.

Additional note - besides being proposed to replace the Apache, they also say it's supposed to replace the OH-58D. I found a 140nm range listed for the OH-58D.