History:
The RAH-66 Comanche is the US Army's new reconnaissance and attack helicopter, and is being developed by Boeing and Sikorsky. The first flight of the Comanche took place on 4 January 1996. In an armed reconnaissance mission, Comanche can recognise and identify targets, and digitally transmit the information to the battlefield commander in near real-time and coordinate the attack.
The airframe can withstand 23mm gunfire. The radar cross section has been minimised, primarily by the precisely shaped fuselage and internal weapons bays. The helicopter has a composite five-bladed main rotor and an enclosed tailrotor. The rear rotor is able to withstand impact by 12.7mm rounds.
The Comanche has two identical cockpits for the pilot and the co-pilot, which are sealed and have a positive pressure air system for protection against chemical and biological warfare. The fly-by-wire flight control system is triple redundant. The cockpit is fitted with a pilot's night vision system and the pilots have a Helmet Integrated Display Sighting System (HIDSS).
The Comanche carries its weapons internally and has a weapons bay on each side of the fuselage. The missiles are mounted on the weapon bay doors, which open sideways. The internal weapon bay can be fitted with Stinger, Starstreak or Mistral air-to-air missiles; TOW II, Hot II or Longbow Hellfire air-to-ground missiles; Sura D 81mm, Snora 81mm or Hydra 70 rockets. The number of missiles on each door mounting varies (each door can hold three Hellfire or six Stinger missiles). The helicopter can be reconfigured with optional stub wings fitted with multiple weapon pylons, which carry an additional four Hellfire or eight Stinger missiles.
The Comanche is equipped with a turreted gun system. The 20mm Gatling gun is capable of firing 750 or 1,500 rounds per minute. The gun is mounted on a composite turret under the nose of the helicopter. The 500-round ammunition supply system can be reloaded in less than eight minutes by two crew members.
The Comanche is fitted with a fire control radar which is based on the Longbow millimetre wave radar on the AH-64D Apache helicopter.
The Comanche is equipped with two T-800-LHT-801 turboshaft engines, with a maximum power of 1,563 hp each. The internal fuel capacity of the helicopter is 1,142 litres.
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| Function: | Recon and attack helicopter |
| Dimensions (Rotor diameter/length/height): | 11.9 m / 13.2 m / 3.37 m |
| Weight: | 3,522 kg empty (7,896 kg max. takeoff weight) |
| Engines: | 2 T800-LHT-801 with 1,563 hp each |
| Max. speed: | 324 km/h |
| Range: | 485 km |
| Ceiling: | 3000 meter |
| Armament: | 1 20mm Gatling gun with 500 rounds; up to 14 AGM-114 Hellfire or 18 AIM-28 Stinger or 56 70mm Hydra rockets |
| Crew: | 2 |
| Manufacturer: | Boeing Helicopter Company and Sikorsky Aircraft Division; USA |
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