Risk Reduction for US Army FARA Programme
At AUSA 2022 Sikorsky put significant effort into showing the progress being made on its Raider X, the competitive prototype it is building for the US Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) programme.
“The Raider X prototype, which is 92% complete, draws on Lockheed Martin’s broad expertise in developing innovative weapons systems using the latest digital design and manufacturing techniques. These advancements will enable the Army to not only lower the acquisition cost, but also enable rapid, affordable upgrades to stay ahead of the evolving threat,” explained Jay Macklin, Director, Sikorsky Future Vertical Lift Business Development.
There are hundreds of additively-manufactured parts installed on Raider X, including flight-critical parts. The 3D-printing process has been so successful that first articles are 95% compliant, saving the team hundreds of hours compared to previous processes.
Sikorsky is also making progress on the second Raider X prototype, which is integrated into the team’s structural test programme and will validate the flight and ground loads capability of the airframe. Structural testing is in progress and is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The tests inform safety-of-flight processes for the first prototype. Once structural testing is complete, the second prototype will be a viable test asset, further reducing risk for the company’s FARA offering.
The aircraft features Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA)-based avionics and mission systems offering ‘plug-and-play’ options for computing, sensors, survivability and weapons. X2 compound coaxial technology provides considerable potential and growth margin for increased speed, combat radius and payload, enabling a broader range of aircraft configurations for specific mission requirements.
“The FARA program is important for Army modernization because it provides the speed, maneuverability, reach and the lethality needed on a 21st-century battlefield,” said Pete Germanowski, FARA Chief Engineer. “Raider X is also designed for growth. The modular open systems approach and digital backbone coupled with the mission system and sensors and communications capability give the Army a node to tie their battlefield network together and enhance the capabilities of the ground force in the process.”
