Is the RAH-66 making a comeback?

Opps...twitchy finger.

Any ways, I've looked at Wiki and other links and all say that the Comanche program is caput. But I watched this video which was produced not to long ago and they actually spend quite a bit of time on the RAH-66 Comanche.



The video deals mainly with the F-22, F-35, RAH-66 and UCAVs. But it got me wondering, have they really shelved the Comanche? Why bother covering a shelved program?

Quite a few technologies from the Commanche are believed to have been moved to the stealthy Blackhawk, and other stealth helicopters that are in development.

reply to post by TDawgRex

727Sky
reply to post by TDawgRex

 

You're cat avatar is better. LOL

reply to post by TDawgRex


Because the RAH-66 was a very interesting program. It just never went anywhere because the Russians had developed rotorcraft with coaxial rotor systems, glass cockpits(meaning fully digitized) heavily armored and armed.

Trust me, no one is working on the RAH-66 anymore. When I was in Ft. Eustis there was a carcass of a RAH-66 sitting in the open air rusting away. It's a dead program and doesn't even hold a candle to some of the newer stealth systems being developed for rotary wing assets. Both in the UH series(as we saw with the bin Laden raid), the AH system, and the OH system.

Zaphod58
Quite a few technologies from the Commanche are believed to have been moved to the stealthy Blackhawk, and other stealth helicopters that are in development.

I believe this is precisely the case.

I also believe that only certain top secret aviation units will get a crack at them, at least at first. SOAR, the fabled Virginia Boys, Aviation Tactics and Evaluation Group, and a few other SMU aviation units.

I think the order of battle may have changed since the Commance but willing to be shot down!

Would a stealth attack chopper be able to defeat shoulder launched guided munitions (depending on the seeker I suppose)/ IR/Heat/Laser but not Optical or unguided.

What would the primary role of an attack chopper be in modern warfare - CAS / Anti Tank - therefore, when you are close up and personal, how much use is physical stealth.

I would imagine sound suppression is a massive goal, not sure how much the Commanche had.

Survivorbility against small arms and shoulder launched weapons would mean great armour and defence aids.

In Afg I suppose the sound of a Apache is part of the weapon, not to mention all the weapons it carries externally.

Horses for courses, but stealth choppers doing sead would be pretty niche unless you combined them with a S&R airframe and SF insertion (which Commanche isnt) and offered to multiple services.

Maybe see a hybrid version but I dont think the Commanche requirement is still there, but thats my opinion.

reply to post by IamSirDrinksalot

Would a stealth attack chopper be able to defeat shoulder launched guided munitions (depending on the seeker I suppose)/ IR/Heat/Laser but not Optical or unguided.

Unguided munitions like RPGs have a 900 meter burn out range. Staying at altitude would suffice 800 to 1000 ft AGL hard decks and maintaining at least 90-120 KIAS.

As for other threats from guided MANPADS, and other guided missiles we have CMWS, EOMS, LDS and RDS that all work in conjunction with each other. And that's not even for stealth aircraft. CMWS systems work, they are battle tested.

What would the primary role of an attack chopper be in modern warfare - CAS / Anti Tank - therefore, when you are close up and personal, how much use is physical stealth.

The RAH-66 primary mission set was going to be recon and surveillance. Stealthy and not so stealthy UAV technology makes that role unnecessary.

I would imagine sound suppression is a massive goal, not sure how much the Commanche had.

Survivorbility against small arms and shoulder launched weapons would mean great armour and defence aids.

Sound suppression would only be needed by UH class helicopters. Which is what a stealth helicopter would be most useful for anyway. They are the ones that are going to perform high risk air assaults that require as much stealth as can be gleaned from a rotary wing aircraft.

Small arms fire can be handled by making flight control components ballistically tolerant as they have already done. The Blackhawk has 2 sets of ballistically tolerant primary flight control servos for every motion. The rotor head and blades are also ballistically tolerant up to 20mm rounds. We also have BAPS installed. Shoulder fired munitions can be taken care of by doing what I mentioned above. Maintain hard decks and certain airspeeds. On the ground there's not much you can do. But this is where having good intel on you LZs and PZs are so important.

That's about all I got for ya.