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Bell Helicopter's "Invictus" prototype


Slater

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Yep. Think of it as a OH-58-style light attack and scout/FAC aircraft rather than an Apache/Comanche replacement.

3 hours ago, GMK said:

Apparently it’s a low cost design that’s not low-observable. No relationship to Sikorsky’s Comanche as this is by Bell. 

 

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7 hours ago, Alan P said:

Yep. Think of it as a OH-58-style light attack and scout/FAC aircraft rather than an Apache/Comanche replacement.

 

 

Too big to and way off the mark for an OH-58- style airframe. Think more of a medium category. 

 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/30136/no-bells-invictus-armed-scout-helicopter-isnt-stealth-but-it-aims-to-be-fast-and-cheap

 

There's a lot I've read about this concept so far out of what's available for the moment and I'm still trying to get down all of my thoughts for it. For now however the thing I would consider the most is a) survivability, i.e. small-medium arms damage, b) maneuverability, and c) noise. And that's just the aircraft itself, not considering the budget availability as of yet. The problem with the US Army (primarily however all the services are guilty of it, looking at you USAF.) is that they try to reinvent the wheel everytime there's a new requirement produced. Since budget is going to be a concern for future procurements why not use what's available oof the shelf like an updated MH/AH-6.

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On 10/3/2019 at 8:09 PM, Alan P said:

Yep. Think of it as a OH-58-style light attack and scout/FAC aircraft rather than an Apache/Comanche replacement.

 

The Comanche was meant to replace the OH-58. Reconnaissance/Attack - RAH-66

 

I see the resemblance to the Comanche but that was a Boeing-Sikorsky design, I doubt the Invictus is related!

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On 10/11/2019 at 10:23 AM, k5054nz said:

The Comanche was meant to replace the OH-58. Reconnaissance/Attack - RAH-66

 

I see the resemblance to the Comanche but that was a Boeing-Sikorsky design, I doubt the Invictus is related!

True but it's not in the same league as the Comanche either financially or in capability.

 

Alan

Edited by Alan P
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This looks like a fairly conventionell design compared to the competitors. It has no coaxial rotors and pusher propeller or tiltrotor. Probably a good idea to choose a low-risk, low-cost approach.

It's noteworthy that several attempts to replace the OH-58 have failed in the past. In the end, one might wonder if the scout role will be completely taken over by UAVs soon.

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