Thread: Sikorsky X2
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Old 01-21-09, 11:03 PM   #4
UnderseaLcpl
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I'll admit, it's an impressive-looking piece of equipment, with some equally impressive capabilities, but it's hardly a panacea. A really cool find, though.

For those same reasons, I almost hate to point out the following (please forgive);

1) Tail-rotors are not "RPG-magnets", despite whatever conclusions you drew from Black Hawk Down. The tail rotor is not a large part of a helicopter, so it's actually less likely to be hit by an unguided weapon like an RPG. Of course, that is irrelevant on a small helicopter like this, since an RPG hit anywhere would almost certainly be fatal. RPG's use hollow-charge warheads capable of penetrating several inches' worth of steel armor. Even the most heavily-armored helicopters, generally, are only capable of withstanding 20mm cannon strikes.
In fact, large helicopters like the Hind are less likely to be disabled or destroyed by RPGs and the like because their vital components are more spaced out and they contain a large central cavity full of air.

2) I think that you misunderstand the concept of "jamming", as well as a host of other tactical considerations. Firstly, while it is possible to jam a radar-guided missile by flooding the target area with powerful radio energy, it makes you a huge beacon for anti-radiation homing missles, which exsist in several air-to-air and surface-to-air variants.
Secondly, while this vehicle's speed is impressive for a chopper, it is certainly not going to be immune to modern AA missiles. Speed is not the helicopter's strength.
Take a lesson from the AH-64D Longbow, which uses a periscope mount to fire hellfire AGMs from behind hills and the like. The speed is useful, no doubt, but even this chopper couldn't rely on it to the extent you describe. And that's not even factoring in hostile aircraft with look-down shoot-down radar.

3) Since there is only a limited amount of technical data available, I can only hazard an educated guess here, but using this vehicle as a UAV would be inefficient at best.
According to the Sikorsky website, and your first link, this vehicle requires a 2-man crew. It also has an avionics suite. These things are not advantages for a cheap, expendable, unmanned craft. Honestly, I can't say what the potential is for this vehicle as a UAV, or really divine what role you intend it to fulfill, but I have a better substitute for you already. The Kamov KA-50 is a single-seat attack/fighter helicopter utilizing the same contra-rotating blade configuration. Unlike the X2, the Kamov doesn't have a tail rotor or anything like it and does not require one. It is the fastest military helicopter in the world, and reportedly, can be flown like a plane while cruising.
If you want a UAV chopper, that's your best bet. It is everything that the LHX program never was, and given a reconfigured fuselage design, might be stealthable as well, and at a fraction of the cost of the X2.
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