User Guide

COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM
1
RAH-66 Comanche
Carrying on the design tradition of American attack helicopters with the tandem cockpit and
turreted nose cannon, the RAH-66 Comanche also brings a suite of new technologies
shaped to fit the US Army’s 21st century vision. It is a vision often described using terms
such as efficiency, economy, flexibility and rapid-deployment. With the reduction of military
strength after the cold war and the increasing involvement of the US Army in "Operations
Other Than War", it has become evident that future forces need to be of a higher quality.
They need to deploy anywhere in the world rapidly and win in combat with the minimum
number of casualties.
Combining systems initially developed for the Apache and Light Helicopter Experimental
(LHX) program with new high-technology systems, the Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche
represents the state-of-the-art in attack helicopters.
Visually, the most striking feature is the exterior body shape. Using what is known as low
observable (LO) properties, the fuselage is designed to reflect radar energy away from any
transmission source. Boeing claims the radar signature is around 1/300th of current aircraft.
To maintain a low radar profile, stores can be hidden in IRAMS (Integrated Retractable
Munitions System), this is an internal weapons bay capable of holding 6 Hellfire missiles.