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Aviation History
1999
1999 - 1703.PDF
0PARIS99 of all diree. That will give you remarkable char acteristics as each sensor sees things different ly," adds Linden. The US Army is provisionally intending to equip about one-third of its planned 1,292 Comanches with a development of the Longbow system. The fire control radar will feature 560mm (2 2 in) diameter electronically scanned antenna, almost half the size of the APG-78's rotating array being retrofitted to the AH-64D Apache Longbow. To conform witli the RAH-66's overall low- observable design, the radar's mast-mounted housing is being remolded to reduce the radar signature of the current Apache Longbow's doughnut-shaped rotodome. Windtunnel and model testing is under way of a new "truncated cone" type arrangement, which although slightly taller, will be more stealdi-like. Comanche's role as an information gatherer will require it to operate well forward of the army's mainbody, and survivability on a modern battlefield is critical. Reducing its radar, acoustic and infra-red signature accordingly has been the primary driver behind the helicopter's design. "We want to see without being seen," says Linden, who claims a radar signature for RAH-66 around 1/3 00th of current aircraft. Critical design features, aside from passive sensors, include a low-noise shrouded tail rotor, suppressed infra-red engine exhaust, fully retractable landing gear, twin internal weapons bays and an airframe structure 58% comprised graphite, kevlar and glassfibre-reinforced plas tic. Active defensive systems will include infra red, laser and radar homing detectors. Deployability has been another major crite rion for Comanche designers. The RAH-66 will be able to self-deploy across the Adantic, via the Azores, with two 1,700 litre (448 USgal) auxiliary long-range fuel tanks on external stores pylons. Preliminary work is under way to install 425 litre tanks to the side weapon bays (Flight International, 2 6 May-1 June, P18) A planned increase in the Comanche's maxi mum take-off weight to 5,845kg (12,8801b) will also increase the helicopter's maximum internal fuel load to 870kg and extend its endurance by 2 5% to 2.6h. "The army's design mission never required that we fill die tank and we designed it with a little bit of growth," says Linden. These revised weights, with a wider 12.2m- diameter main rotor, will be incorporated into the first of five preproduction proto types due to fly in May 2003. A S3.6 billion engineering and man ufacturing develop ment (EMD) contract is due to be awarded by March 2000,19 months ahead of the previously revised timetable. "It made sense to bring it forward because we were ready to enter into the full-scale develop ment phase and the technology was there to demonstrate an earlier milestone exit criterion. It's a strong signal we're ready to get on with it and get closer to production," says Bergantz. The move is tacit recognition that the initial demonstration/validation phase of the Comanche programme has been treading water The Comanche's role as an information gatherer will require it to operate well forward "We felt we were ready to enter into the full-scale development phase" - Brig Gen Joseph Bergantz for some time due to funding slippages. The ini tial prototype has clocked up close to 150h in flight validation time since early 1996, during which it reached 175kt (32 5km/h) in level flight, a ceiling of 9,500ft and 80° a second hover turns. A second MEP test machine flew in March, but has been grounded grounded after logging only a few hours. It is not scheduled to fly again before 2001. "One of the things we have on our list is to get some more money to fly aircraft No 2 all of next year," says Linden. EMD includes funding for eight preproduc tion RAH-66s which will be fielded by the US Army for digital experi mentation. The For Hood-based 4th In fantry Division has been designated as Army XXTs inaugural digital unitinFY2000-landthe parent 3rd Corps, the first digital corps from FY2004-5. This will include the 1st Cavalry Division, the first troop to receive Comanches. Low-rate production deliveries will begin in 2006 with an initial 14 machines, progressively increasing to 72 a year by 2010-11. "Comanche will be a leap ahead of the Bell AH-58D Kiowa and AH-1 Cobra helicopters we're replacing in the light divisions. In terms of digital weapons systems and with the capability being brought to the fray, we'll be able to get information dom inance," predicts Bergantz. • 116 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 9 - 15 June 1999
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