With a length of 25.4 feet and a fuselage height of 4.5 feet, the AARV was even more compact than the diminutive OH-6, which was 30.3 feet long and 8.1 feet high to the top of the rotor mast. In the meantime, the same ‘armored helicopter’ thinking that led to the AARV was also used as the basis for another Sikorsky project, the Aerial Armored Personnel Carrier (AAPC). The S-97, in turn, paved the way for the promising RaiderX, which was widely seen as being a potential frontrunner for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, which aimed to supply the Army with a high-speed new-generation scout and attack helicopter.
Author: Thomas Newdick
Published at: 2025-05-24 20:21:28
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