{"id":49359,"date":"2023-04-24T13:14:01","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T13:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/native\/uncategorized\/sikorsky-x2-technology-propels-army-readiness-in-the-indo-pacific\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:15:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:15:55","slug":"sikorsky-x2-technology-propels-army-readiness-in-the-indo-pacific","status":"publish","type":"native","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/native\/sikorsky-lockheed-martin\/sikorsky-x2-technology-propels-army-readiness-in-the-indo-pacific\/","title":{"rendered":"Sikorsky X2 Technology Propels Army Readiness in the Indo-Pacific"},"content":{"rendered":"\nThe U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) covers more of the globe than any Department of Defense geographic combatant commands, making it vital for the military to operate at range. The region has rapidly become the Pentagon\u2019s top priority to counter threats from China, making the Army\u2019s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) increasingly important for readiness.\n\n\n\n

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, is offering the RAIDER X<\/a>\u00ae, based on its transformational X2\u2122 technology<\/a> and coaxial rotorcraft design, to deliver the FARA mission. RAIDER X is custom-built for Indo-Pacific missions. It flies farther and faster than conventional aircraft, maneuvers with unmatched agility at low altitudes and excels in any environment, including extremely hot conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIn battle, you want to live outside the threat ring. Getting in close and mitigating threats requires a combination of speed and the ability to capitalize on the environment,\u201d said Christiaan Corry, Sikorsky\u2019s lead test pilot for the S-97 RAIDER\u00ae, Sikorsky\u2019s FARA-representative aircraft flying today in West Palm Beach, Florida. \u201cThe safest sanctuary for helicopters is low. And if you can fly low and<\/i> fast, it\u2019s especially difficult for radar to detect you. That\u2019s what RAIDER X brings to battle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the FARA mission relies on more than aircraft capabilities alone. In the future battlespace, FARA will act as a networked sensor, a \u201cquarterback\u201d for managing the effects and communications across platforms in the lower-tier air domain at up to 1,000 feet above the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RAIDER X\u2019s all-digital, Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) is designed not only to connect with sensors and shooters across all domains but also to rapidly evolve and grow with the technology landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X2 technology will give pilots a decisive edge in USINDOPACOM environments in three fundamental ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delivering Increased Speed and Maneuverability<\/b><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Sikorsky has designed, built and flown four prototype aircraft using X2 technology, including the S-97 RAIDER technology demonstrator, which first flew in 2015. Flying at 207 knots straight and level, the S-97 RAIDER has already demonstrated speeds faster than any current operational helicopter. Sikorsky\u2019s X2 TECHNOLOGY\u2122 Demonstrator aircraft, which first flew in 2008, exceeded flight speeds of 250 knots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n