Bill Fell, Sikorsky's experimental test pilot for the Raider, said that the Raider X will combine "the best elements of low-speed helicopter performance with the cruise performance of an airplane," cited by Aviation Today.
Sikorsky President Dan Schultz said that the company will leverage Lockheed Martin know-how and "will deliver the only solution that gives the US Army the superiority needed to meet its mission requirements."
Much like the S-97 (and Sikorsky's X2 experimental helicopter), which was used as a blueprint for the fellow model, the Raider X design uses coaxial rigid rotors designed for better performance at high speeds and a "pusher" propeller that takes the thrust load off the rotors. The coaxial rotors also allow the Raider X design to reach advertised speeds in excess of 250 knots (over 287mph, or 463km/h) at altitudes greater than 9,000 feet.
It has flight controls optimization and vibration mitigation, low-speed and high speed manoeuvrability envelopes out to more than 60 degrees angle of bank and Aeronautical Design Standard-33B Level 1 handling qualities, Lockheed Martin said.
