Second COMANCHE prototype flies with MEP

The RAH-66 COMANCHE Prototype No. 2 made its first flight with the newly installed Mission Equipment Package (MEP) software and new engines on 23 May, reaching the critical milestone weeks ahead of schedule.

"This is a great first achievement for the restructured COMANCHE program," said Chuck Allen, COMANCHE Program Office director. "Five months ago we set down a plan to fly Prototype No. 2 by the end of June. We not only met that milestone, we beat it handily."

Test pilots Rus Stiles and Reggie Murrell were at the controls for the 1.4 hour flight at the Development Flight Center during which the aircraft went out to maximum forward level flight speed of approximately 170 knots and carried out basic manoeuvres, including hover, and left and right hover turns.

Prototype No. 2 was taken off flight status in May 2001 for installation of new LHTEC T-800-LHT-801 engines and for integration testing of the MEP. The MEP software provides the foundation aircraft operating system and supports the pilotage, vehicle systems reporting and health, and digital map functions of the COMANCHE.

The upgraded and improved LHTEC T-800-LHT-801 engines each provide uninstalled output of 1,563 shaft horsepower (1,165.5 kW), a 17% power increase over COMANCHE's earlier

T800-LHT-800 engines. The 801 engines were first flown on Prototype No. 1 in June 2001.LHTEC (Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company) is a Rolls-Royce and Honeywell consortium.

Prototype No. 2 will continue in flight test with near term objectives that include continued development of the core MEP functions, continued flight controls development work and night vision pilotage system development testing. Prototype No. 1 completed its test flight programme earlier this year and will serve as a backup aircraft for Prototype No. 2.

The RAH-66 COMANCHE, the US Army's 21st century combat helicopter, is being developed by US Army Aviation and an industry team of headed by Boeing and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

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