Military

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, July 7, 2003) -- As the Comanche helicopter enters its 20th year of development, improvements continue as a tentative fielding date approaches.

The RAH-66 Comanche is the latest addition to the Army's aerial fleet, or soon will be as early as 2009.

The Comanche is expected to be fielded first to a unit in Fort Rucker, Ala., said Jack Satterfield of Boeing.

Officials have heralded it as, "the centerpiece of the U.S. Army's aviation modernization plan." Posing a smaller and sleek design, it embodies the, "transformation to smaller, more effective units."

Ed Steaham, Sikorsky communication manager, said the team is "starting to build and assemble nine aircraft."

Satterfield said the prototypes will undergo more testing and flight training. Training is expected to continue through 2008.

Comanche originally began in 1984 as the Light Helicopter Experiment, LHX. Between 1991 and 2000, the Comanche was in its demonstration/Validation/Prototype phase. During this time two prototypes were built and flown successfully. In total, 17 companies have taken part in the development of the Comanche, with Boeing and Sikorsky composing a major part of the aircraft production team.

Bob Hunt, spokesman for PEO Aviation, said the Comanche is presently in the "System Development Demonstration" stage.

Both Boeing and Sikorsky link funding as the cause for delays. A "major change last fall," and a Defense Acquisition Board review further hindered the project. These reviews are to restructure the program. The program went through its sixth review this past fall, said Hunt. Concurrently, "five major program changes removed money," said Satterfield. At that point with the, "risk involved given the money...the program was in danger of failing."

Here again the program was in danger of failure due to lack of funding. Fortunately, funds were allocated, rising from $3.1 billion to $6.7 billion, and work continued.

The Comanche's evolution has taken over 20 years, to this point. Yet the current prototypes show that, regardless of delays, the program has yielded a cutting edge aircraft.

Satterfield highlighted the many advantages of the Comanche's design. A remarkable component is the enclosed fantail. For one, it increases safety to personnel as it removes the conventional open-air blade that a person could walk into. The rotor is protected from striking objects such as foliage. This design also enhances its anti-torque ability, the intended purpose of a tail rotor.

The RAH-66 is amply armed. Along with a 20-mm triple barrel turret, the Comanche is outfitted with air-to-ground rockets, and both air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. RAH-66 incorporates the same fire control system as the AH-64D Apache Longbow.

Its defensive capabilities have also been enhanced. The RAH-66 is able to withstand up to 23-mm fire. The enclosed tail rotor is subsequently resistant to 12.7-mm fire. This due to an all composite structure. Composite materials, unlike metals, do not crack at the site of damage. Should the skin be pierced, damage is greatly reduced and easily repaired. Rather than requiring a replacement section, a technician can merely apply a patch.

Self-healing digital mission electronics add to the aircraft's state of the art appearance and survivability. This basically transfers power from non-essential systems to those critical for sustaining flight. "The aircraft is programmed to degrade orderly...by importance," Satterfield said.

A Comanche flight crew, especially one in a hostile situation, should benefit from the lower sound profile and increased stability the fantail provides. It also "emits low radar, infrared and acoustic signatures," according to officials. Such features should facilitate the Comanche's operation in a theater of combat silently and more effectively.

The rotor is completely bearingless. A fly-by-wire flight control system is triple redundant further improving safety.

Satterfield said the Army has been, "intimately involved in the program from the beginning...to an unprecedented degree." Aviators, maintainers, and trainers were involved in design, he said.