Specifications Helicopter RAH-66 “Comanche”

Dimensions, m

length of the rotating screws 14,28

fuselage length 13.22

height helicopter 3,39

rotor diameter 11,9

sweeps away the area, m2 1112

Motors

                                                                                  2 TBG LHTEC

                                                                                  T800-LHT-801

Takeoff, kW / liter. pp. 2 x 1068 / 2 x 1,432

Weights and Load kg

maximum take-off 7900

empty (Curb) 3533

when performing a combat mission

(With 4 anti-tank Hellfire “, 2 SD” Stinger ”

320 shells for the gun) 4810

allowable acceleration, g from 1 to 3.5

Flight data

maximum speed at a height

1220 m and npi t = 35 ° C, km / h 328

Cruise speed, km / h 302

speed in an emergency mode, km / h 352

rate of climb, m / 6

time required to turn in the hover at 180 *, with 46

time reversal 90 * without loss of height, with 5,5

In 1983, the U.S. Army on a competitive basis to initiate work on the program of light multipurpose helicopter LHX (Light Helicopter Experimental), which were the development of the earlier research programs easy gunship LAH (Light Attack Helicopter) and advanced reconnaissance helicopter ASH (Advanced Scout Helicopter). LHX helicopters were intended to replace the combat helicopters Bell AH-1 multipurpose helicopters Bell UH-1 helicopters and intelligence Bell OH-58 and Hughes OH-6. Be built in 1990-1994,. 4000-6000 helicopters in the reconnaissance LHX-SCAT and multipurpose LHX-UTIL options. The total development cost of helicopters was estimated at 2.8 billion dollars, and the production cost 24-36 billion dollars, making the program LHX most ambitious of all helicopter programs.

Initially, the requirements for helicopter LHX envisaged
top speed 330 – 550 km / h, maximum flight duration 2.5 hours, the crew of one person and the ability to transport 6 paratroopers or cargo of 600 kilograms, the weapons – unguided gun, ATGM and SD with sighting systems and equipment, providing pilotage in adverse weather conditions and at night. In 1983, the firm Bell, Boeing Vertol, Sikorsky and Hughes have received research contracts for helicopters LHX, introducing in 1984 a number of projects, among which were single-seater VTOL with rotating propellers ( Firm “Bell”), two-seat helicopter with wings and tail rotor in the annular channel (Boeing Vertol), single helicopter with coaxial rotors and a pusher propeller in the annulus (”Sikorsky”) and a helicopter with a single wing and the use of jet Gas GTE to balance the reactive torque and a propulsive thrust (”Hughes”). carried out in 1984-1987. evaluation of projects has led to the revision of the requirements for helicopter LHX, primarily to the abandonment of a maximum speed of 550 km / h, which allowed us to exclude exotic projects, development of which required high technical risk, was excluded as a multi-purpose version of the helicopter, and the main purpose has been defined as the intelligence -martial, the helicopter was considered appropriate to do double.
 
In 1991, the combined team of companies, Boeing and Sikorsky, presented a draft reconnaissance helicopter gunship RAH-66, was the winner of the contest. First flight of the helicopter pilot RAH-66 “Comanche” was held on January 4, 1996, flight tests of a second helicopter pilot is scheduled to begin in 1998 and in 2001 to begin flight tests for the evaluation of initial operational capability of helicopters meant going to military trials, expected to be built six of these helicopters. Mass production is scheduled to begin in 2006, it is assumed that U.S. Army helicopters will be delivered in 1292 worth more than $ 34 billion.

Reconnaissance and attack helicopter RAN-66 “Comanche” is intended for the collection and transfer of tactical intelligence information via an advanced digital communications in real time, to defeat armored targets on the battlefield, control combat operations, to coordinate attacks, strike aircraft and helicopters, to detect and destruction of air defense, command posts, tactical ballistic missiles, as well as escorting helicopter gunships, AH-64 Apache and aerial combat. The helicopter is made of single-rotor scheme with two TBG, tricycle landing gear and tail rotor in the vertical tail surface.

The fuselage is made with extensive use of IM, the front part has a decompression beam, the tail boom frame design with swept vertical and horizontal T-shaped tail surfaces, cockpit double in position to one another armored safely damaged seats the pilot and weapons operator. Glazing cabin is made of flat panels. Cabin floor is safe damageable panels, which absorb impact energy during an accident. The outer skin is 40% made from removable panels fabricated using the technique of “stealth”; doors, fairings and other secondary structures are mostly made from Kevlar honeycomb materials.

Main rotor five-lobed, with the hingeless blade attachment, fully made from the CM, the blades of rectangular shape in plan, with swept wingtips, attached with elastic elements that have an equivalent displacement of GSH is 9.5% to enhance maneuverability. Tail rotor diameter 1,37 m, type “fenteyl”, set in an annulus vertical tail, the blades with a chord of 0.17 m located asymmetrically to reduce noise.

Tricycle undercarriage, with a tail wheel, are retracted. The front pillars are removed back on the flight, the tail – forward the length of the main pillars of depreciation racks can be adjusted to reduce the height of the parking helicopters for transport in the transport plane. The base chassis 2.31 m.Silovaya plant consists of two CCD turbovalnyh T800-LHT-801 free-turbine helicopter designed specifically for LH on the competition program developed using the metric system of measures. Development of GTE began simultaneously with the development of the helicopter, in 1983, and in 1988 the engine was chosen for the helicopter ap Mia LH, in 1992, after 17 000 h operating time preparations for mass production.  

GTE has an annular air intake with dust protection devices, two-stage centrifugal compressor, annular combustor, two-stage turbine driving the compressor and a two-stage free turbine; a digital control system FADEC, which improves the acceleration of the engine and delivers its diagnosis, reducing the load the pilot.

Engine Size: Length 0,64 m, width 0,55 m, 0,66 m height, dry weight of 143 kg. Speed turbine 23,000 rpm with gearbox output shaft is reduced by up to 6000-6600 rpm. Takeoff power 1068 kVt/1432 liter. pp.

TBG is located on the sides of the fuselage in some of the fairing with side air intakes. Between GTE posted mixing BTS 124 company Williams International, is used to launch them in and providing hydraulic APU, operates throughout the flight.

Fuel system. Fuel contained in the central fuel tank capacity of 1142 liters, possible suspensions of the two fuel tanks with a capacity of 1000 liters or four tanks with a total capacity of 3406 liters for ferry flights.

The control system electrically, with double redundancy, control helicopter possibly from both cabins, cabin equipment is identical, with the right hand seat pilot and weapons operator installed side handle for control in roll, pitch and rate, on the left side are controls motors, foot control available . Is the autopilot mode to stabilize the speed to fly by night and in adverse weather conditions and voice alarm system modes.

Electronic equipment, made in super high speed integrated circuit VHSIC, housed in three separate compartments with a slight excess pressure. The main complex block a combat mission activities includes two central FDC-capacity power company Westinghouse, the data bus with the channels of transmission (data transmission rate 800 Mbit / s) MIL-STD 1553 B and binds into a whole all the avionics, weapons systems, sensors and sensing elements.
 

With the main unit a combat mission interact:

- Combined sighting and navigation system and a connected firm «TRW», the system can operate in two modes: positioning the helicopter or maintain the secrecy of communications channels, simultaneous operation of the system in these regimes is not possible due to poor electromagnetic compatibility of equipment, and the system can send information to other intelligence helicopters, planes on a closed communication channel in real-time navigation receiver subsystem includes a satellite navigation system GPS and inertial navigation system for ring laser gyroscopes, the help system to detect and classify targets ATI / C system for night-piloting NVPS, mounted on top of a turret nose of the helicopter, in the future can be installed radar Omnidirection “Long Bow”;

- Automated System targeting TAS placed on the lower turret at the bow of the fuselage, including the IR system of forward-looking second-generation FLIR, a digital television
system and laser system for illumination purposes, for laying anti-tank Hellfire “(angles of 52 ° in azimuth and 35 ° in elevation), the system can store an image for later viewing, the image from the IR or the TV system can be transmitted to the multifunction displays combined Helmet Sighting system HIDDS firm “Kaiser Electronics; on Helmet displays also can display data from different systems and three-dimensional digital map of the firm” Harris “;

- Handheld device troubleshooting PIMA to self-monitoring and troubleshooting of electronic systems;

- Life support system of the company “Hamilton Standard designed to protect against chemical, biological and radiological weapons, creating a slight overpressure in the cockpit and the compartments of electronic equipment by applying the filtered and cooled air from the environment.

Design features and systems, lowering the visibility:

- In the radar range: convex shape of the fuselage shell KM with flat surfaces; ledge at the bottom of the rear beam for the direction of the reflected radar signal away from the radiating radars; removed at the fairing gun and conformal suspension arms, fully made of composite hingeless rotor, nose turret faceted forms of FLIR and night pilotage, radio absorbing coating;

- In the IR: infrared suppression system, mixing the hot engine exhaust with ambient air and releases them along the entire length (about 2 meters) of flat, turned down the panels on each side of tail boom, through the same system extracts air from compartments electronic equipment, placement of the most hot parts of engines and APUs in the helicopter airframe;

- In an acoustic band: five-lobed rotor with swept wingtips and tail rotor type “fenteyl”; possibility of reducing the speed of tail rotor by 10%.

Helmet

Helmet sight with night vision goggles

Armament for all versions of the application includes a triple-gun, 20 mm Gatling-type firm General Electric / GIAT »turret, below the bow of the fuselage, cannon can get out of the fairing rotation of 180 °; time to bring the guns out of the fairing in the deployed position 2, with rate of ground target 750 rounds per minute, and air targets -1500 rounds per minute, ammunition: normal 320 rounds, a maximum of 500 shells. The two weapons bays, located in the middle of the fuselage on both sides: on the inside of the opening of the valves in the six nodes suspension (three on each wing) can be placed anti-tank Hellfire “and SD” Steen-ger “air-to-air missiles; by helicopter within 15 minutes can be set small wings for posting on an external sling additional weapons (system EFAMS); with the established system EFAMS helicopter can carry an external sling 8 ATGM Hellfire “or 32 NAR” Hydra “caliber 70 mm in eight blocks , or 16 SD “Stinger”, or two external fuel tank with a capacity of 1,627 liters each for ferrying at samorazvertyvanii, or two tanks for long-term military flight capacity of 871l.