Sikorsky S-97 Raider

Two rigid coaxial rotor prototypes designed to demonstrate a game-changing combination of maneuverability, hover ability, range, speed, endurance and survivability.

Developed as Sikorsky entry for the US Army Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) program, after the cancelation of the ARH-70 Arapaho. Main contender was the American Eurocopter/Lockheed-Martin AAS-72X but the Army cancelled the program in late 2013.

Powered by one General Electric T700 engine, the same engine of the UH-60M Blackhawk, the first prototype completes maiden flight on May 22, 2015.

Sikorsky is exploring civil applications for the S-97, such as transporting personnel between offshore oil platforms

On August 2, 2017 one of the aircraft suffered a hard landing during a hovering test flight at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center at Palm Beach County, FL.

As of 2025, the Sikorsky S-97 Raider, an advanced compound helicopter, continues to be an active technology demonstrator, despite the cancellation of the U.S. Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program in 2024, for which its larger variant, the Raider X, was proposed.

Sikorsky is leveraging the S-97's X2 technology, featuring rigid coaxial main rotors and a pusher propeller, to showcase its capabilities to international audiences, notably at the 2025 Paris Air Show. The company is actively promoting the S-97's underlying X2 technology for programs like NATO's Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) and South Korea's experimental utility helicopter project (XUH), both seeking a fast, multirole rotorcraft.

The S-97 continues to undergo regular flight testing, roughly once a week, to further advance and mature the X2 concept for potential future applications and other Sikorsky types