Unveiling the Next Generation Military Helicopter | S-97 Raider

This is the Sikorsky S-97 Raider, a next-generation prototype helicopter designed specifically for the U.S. Army. It was made to revolutionize the Army's aircraft fleet, providing cutting-edge speed, reconnaissance, and attack capabilities to dominate the battlefield for years to come. Today, our mission is simple. Find what makes Raider such an incredible platform by witnessing a full-flight demonstration to see what this thing is really capable of. How you doing, Sam? I'm doing well. I mean, I'm a little intimidated by this thing. It's just crazy looking, but can't wait to see it in action. Well, Sam, this is the S-97 Raider. Sikorsky built this in what we hope will become the Army's future scout attack helicopter. And honestly, I've never seen a design quite like this. From the rotors to the look of the fuselage, it's pretty futuristic. Well, we had to do a couple of things different to give the Army what they were after. They wanted to go 180 knots. I've gone over 200 in this. We do that with a coaxial rotor system and a pusher prop. The Army wanted the ability to put quite a bit of payload in. That opened up a cabin that fits not only all the munitions and payload that they're after, but up to six troops. When you walk it forward in the cockpit, you've got two pilots that'll be able to sit side-by-side, and then they'll each have these large-screen displays that have a touchscreen to allow them to interact with all of the mission kit that we're going to put onto the aircraft to make it viable in the fight. It's almost like you took a brand-new sports car and mixed it with a military aircraft and out came Raider. Yeah, that's pretty close to what we did, Sam. Well, I can't wait to see the demo. Excited to see you fly. I'm looking forward to it. So, after meeting the pilot and getting an up-close look at Raider, it was now time to head inside for the flight brief and learn just what to expect during the full aerial demonstration. Okay, Sam, what we have for you today is a flight demonstration of all the characteristics and capabilities of the S-97 Raider. How does that sound? That sounds fantastic. All right, it's going to look something like this. We're going to pick up from parking, and as you'd expect out of any helicopter, we're going to air taxi over the runway. In that, you're going to see our ability to fly sideward, pedal turns on a spot, but at the end of the taxi, we're going to clutch up the prop, and we're going to take off, and we're going to get ourselves into a high-speed run. At the end of that high-speed run, we're going to pitch the nose up and turn all that high forward speed into climb rate. On the backside of that maneuver, we're going to pitch ourselves down into a dive, and we're going to reverse the thrust on the prop. That's going to allow us to maintain a dive profile without accelerating as we drive towards the ground. Once we're done with that, we'll come back into the low-speed environment. We'll give you some left and right side flights, both with and without the prop, and I think what you're going to find there is a significant difference in the acoustic characteristic of the machine, whether or not the prop is clutched. And then, if there's time, we'll give you one more high-speed pass just to see how fast you can really go. As the pilots and crew began their pre-flight checklist to prep the aircraft for takeoff, I decided to look for the best vantage point on the flight line. After navigating several flights of stairs and climbing out onto the catwalk, I found myself with the best seat in the house, the very top of the Sikorsky Control Tower. All right, guys, we got a pretty sweet view to watch the demo from. The aircraft's about ready to take off. We're pretty much front and center. It's going to be awesome. Hey, good morning. We are on the front. This is Air Kilo. Copy all, sir. Proceed on runway 9. Airvia, that's runway 27. Airvia, that's wind is calm. You will have preventive control. Do you advise there is manned equipment just north of the fence on the access road leading to the ADS areas, of course? Radar ABC is stabilized. Okay, then, we are ready to go to speed 16 for 16. I got the record. Clear left. Clear right. Coming up. Just as briefed, the first thing you should see are radar's low-speed handling qualities. Even though the aircraft was designed to fly fast, it's also capable of maneuvering swiftly at low altitudes and low speeds. This is one of the competitive advantages the platform has should it be needed in the battlefield to navigate through obstacles. As the aircraft repositions here, you're going to see it come around for the high-speed pass. This is where that rear prop engages and propels the aircraft forward up to 200 knots. It's crazy fast. Next up is the diving fire gun run, which, if you remember, is used to simulate putting rounds on an enemy target at a 30-degree nose low attitude. Radar does this through what's called aerodynamic braking, which is used to slow the aircraft down and reduce thrust, a capability that no conventional helicopter has. Okay, so radar looks like it's about to demonstrate the sideways flight as it hovers low over the runway. It's going to be two passes, one with the prop, one without. Let's listen in, see if we can hear that difference in sound. Okay, so remember, if all goes well, one final high-speed pass. Let's see if we get it. All right, guys, demo just concluded. That was amazing to watch from up here. That thing is so fast. Pilots just landed. Let's go meet up with them. Well, Sam, what did you think? Honestly, it was incredible. I mean, hearing you brief it was one thing, but actually seeing it in person, this thing is fast. I mean, it's got some capability, and you've got some skill. Well, Sam, I've got to tell you, it's a testament to the folks that built it. They maintain it. It shows up every day. I just jump in. Really, all the props go to them. Props? I see what you did there. Yeah, I've been working on that one, Sam. Hey, I'll see you next time. See you next time.