Professional Pilot, July 2016

The flightdeck is built around the Garmin G5000H avionics suite with touchscreen controls and 4 large screens that function independently as PFD or MFD A terrain awareness warning system is optional Controls are triple redundant FBW the first in a commercial helicopter Although the 525 Relentless was designed for the oil gas market Bell reports that interest is unexpectedly strong in the corporate VIP sector as well Certification is expected in 2017 Sikorsky Sikorskys civilian programs has been slow of late perhaps because its R D is so focused on the military which accounts for some 70 of the firms revenue 76 PROFESSIONAL PILOT July 2016 A hybrid composite structure keeps the helicopters weight down but this is definitely a heavy Maximum gross is 74000 lbs with an internal load 88000 lbs with an external load The CH53K can lift more than 27000 lbs and carry it 110 nm at a cruise speed of 110 kts under high hot conditions In standard conditions it will cruise at 141 kts and travel 460 nm The cabin is wide enough to carry a Humvee and long enough for 2 master pallets of cargo so crews no longer have to break pallets apart and distribute their load through the helicopter For naval operations the rotor folds automatically to allow storage in tight spaces Each of the 200 aircraft on order is expected to come in at 110 million including development costs Operating expenses are also steep at about 10000 an hour although that is half the cost of the King Stallions predecessor S97 Raider is a light tactical helicopter based on the X2 technology demonstrator Designed for a crew of 2 and up to 6 passengers it offers twice the speed and maneuverability of a conventional model The Raiders unique assets are visible at a glance Up top 2 rigid rotors contra rotate on a common axis a notion Sikorsky has been working on since the S69 1973 And theres a pusher prop at the back a concept Cierva patented in 1939 Performance targets for the S97 include a cruise speed of 220 kts with external weapons 308 nm range the ability to hover at 6000 ft on a 95 degree day and 3G maneuverability at speed For low speed agility the rotors can tilt in different directions Other contributors include active elevons a variable pitch rear positioned propeller and an articulating tail not yet incorporated into the S97 prototype Controls are triplex FBW Propulsion is a General Electric YT706 turboshaft delivering 2600 shp Sikorsky hopes to replace it with a more powerful and fuel efficient model being developed for the US Army The S97 first flew in May 2015 and theres a 2nd prototype ready to serve as a demonstrator for potential customers It may say something that Sikorskys website shows an S97 in civilian colors S76D Sikorskys most recent commercial introduction is an update to the C model which went out of production in 2012 It swaps out the Turbomeca Arriel 2S2 engines for the more powerful and efficient P WC PW210S Other changes include composite rotor blades adapted from the S92 for more lift and less noise Moog active vibration suppression and an all glass Thales TopDeck avionics suite First US customer took delivery of its S76D in 2013 but sales appear to have been slow since then Some 80 of Sikorskys civilian market is in the oil gas industry where low crude prices have suppressed buying On the military side Sikorsky is developing 3 new helicopters that could influence the next generation of civilian rotorcraft CH53K King Stallion is a conventional cargo helicopter for the US Marine Corps It will replace the CH53E Super Stallion which entered service in 1980 It is powered by 3 General Electric T408 GE 400 engines each delivering 7500 shp They drive a 7 bladed composite rotor mounted in an elastomeric head SB1 Defiant A joint development from Sikorsky and Boeing this is a medium lift demonstrator in the works as a high speed rigid rotor coaxial helicopter for the militarys Future Vertical Lift FVL program Under the FVL strategic plan it must carry up to 12 troops operate at 6000 ft in temperatures up to 95 degrees reach 230 kts and have a range of 457 nm A pilot will be optional Missions will range from cargo transport and medevac to antisubmarine warfare and special ops support Target date for a complete prototype is 2017 Of course Sikorsky is not the only company developing a candidate for the FVL program It is here that aircraft technologies begin to evolve from innovative to adventurous Tiltrotors V280 Valor from Bell is roughly the size of a medium lift helicopter but will travel twice as fast and far Plans also call for low speed maneuverability more like an agile helicopter than Bells highly successful V22 Osprey The Valor should handily exceed FVL requirements It is designed to Sikorsky S76D Sikorsky SB1 Defiant Sikorsky CH53K King Stallion Sikorsky S97 Raider