The U.S. Army and marines are at fault for flying, slow, loud helicopters--industry has repeatedly offered faster helos with wings to unload the rotors and extra forward thrust. This video reminds us that the 220 mph S-67 Blackhawk attack helicopter was offered by Sikorsky as a less radical alternative than the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne program that was ruined by USAF back-stabbing.
Interservice Rivalry and Airpower in the Vietnam War, by Dr. Ian Horwood.
http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/horwood.pdf
The BlackHawk looked like a helicopter with conventional rotors (those of the S-61) and had the now typical lines and features of a combat helicopter: two stub wings with a 8.33m span and an all-moving tail plane. The main-wheels were retractable, while the tailwheel was not. One of the most interesting features of this aircraft was the presence of speed brakes on the wing trailing edges, which could be used both as airbrakes and to improve manoeuvrability. In addition the main rotor blade tips were modified and given a sweep-back of 20°, to reduce vibration, stall speed and noise.
The BlackHawk was put through a long series of tests from 1970 to 1974 but judged "unsatisfactory". It nonetheless established an E-1 class world speed record on 14 December 1970 by flying at 348.971km/h over 3km, beating this on 19 December with a new record of 335.485km/h over a 15/25km circuit. In the final stages of testing, the S-67 was fitted with night vision systems, a TAT-140 turret with a 30mm cannon and an insulated and soundproof compartment for (6) troop transport. The S-67 was also designed to carry an armament of 16 x TOW antitank guided missiles, 2.75 in Hydra-70mm rockets or Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.
The BlackHawk demonstrated excellent maneuverability, weapon carrying capacity and versatility. At the end of the test cycle, the U.S. Army asked for the aircraft to be modified by substituting a ducted fan for the tail unit, and in this configuration it reached a speed of 370km/hour (230 mph) in a test dive in 1974. The U.S. Army rotarytards still fly exposed tail rotors that they walk into on the ground and is cause of 10% of all helicopter crashes by getting snagged on trees, wires, obstacles as well as a major source of noise that alerts enemies to shoot them down. The Hollywood helicopter that always explodes in a ball of fire is not far from the truth thanks to rotarytard stupidity and refusal to adapt to real world conditions.
One feature of the S-67 borrowed from the Russian Mi-24 Hind is that a 6-man recon or CSAR team could be fought into and out of enemy-held areas; a capability we still lack today.
http://www.combatreform.com/escape.htm
One area where Army pilot whining is needed but not heard is for crew escape. There's NO EXCUSE why at least bail-out parachutes are not worn NOW by everyone in Army helicopters and why after all these years an attack helicopter ejection seat or capsule hasn't been fielded when the Russians already have such things in service. So much for American "leadership" in military aviation; held back by rotarytards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtB-XKFxEJY
Another capability understood by industry but apparently not rotarytards is CAMOUFLAGE: notice the excellent tan desert camouflage of the S-67 in the video and still pics on the web page below:
http://www.geocities.com/tacticalstudiesgroup/piaseckivtdp.htm
Sikorsky took steps to make their S-67 so quiet that you wouldn't hear it until it was 500 meters away--too late if in a combat situation. Its no surprise industry today (the MICC-TT) offers the military junk--the military WANTS junk--not excellent war equipment. The U.S. miltary's worst enemy is itself.
Want to know more? our book, "Air-Mech-Strike: Asymmetric Maneuver Warfare for the 21st Century" is ONLINE for FREE skyjacked by Google!
http://books.google.com/books?id=RCWtHnYZ0LMC&pg
Tags: S-67 blackhawk compound helicopters recon team insertion extraction gunship CAS CSAR
