bell 360 invictus is a new attack and reconnaissance helicopter being developed
by bell textron to deliver improved lethality survivability and extended range for army aviation
the rotorcraft will offer security and situational awareness on the battlefield
upon completion of its government flight test evaluation it will serve as an affordable
lethal and sustainable solution while delivering next generation performance
most of the interior structure and fuselage skin of the prototype aircraft are in place
the shark-like invictus a conventional single rotor helicopter with a canted tail rotor and
what bell calls a low drag configuration is one of two aircraft that could become the us army's
new future attack recon aircraft pharah the 360 is designed to army specifications that
fara fit into a 4 foot 12 meters square box and should cruise at 180 knots or faster
whether in the urban canyons of the mecca city or rugged rural terrain the design of the bell 360
invictus delivers advanced speed range and agility the robust articulated rotor lift sharing wing and
optimized tail rotor enable versatility for attack and reconnaissance operations in any environment
always prepared to finish the fight the bell 360 invictus supports a 20mm cannon
and internal payload that features an integrated munitions effects launcher to accommodate current
and future ordnance the combination of advanced sensors and air-launched effects
elevates situational awareness and increases lethality across the multi-domain spectrum
innovation joins performance and safety with the integrated supplemental power unit
spoo it serves dual purposes by providing auxiliary power for ground maintenance and
systems checks and offers supplemental horsepower to boost crew's airspeed
dash speed hover payload and auto-rotative performance
bell was selected to continue into the competitive design and risk reduction phase
of pharah in march 2020 alongside sikorsky and its raider x compound coaxial helicopter
pharah should take on the armed scout helicopter role vacated by the retirement of the oh-58d kioa
warrior that is currently being performed by ah-64 apache gunships teamed with rq-7 shadow drones
the helicopter pharah program mainly aims to replace the army's ah-65 apache and
oh-58d keel warrior helicopters
oh-58d keel warrior armed reconnaissance helicopter role the primary mission of
the helicopter is in the scout attack roll the helicopter can be optionally equipped to carry
out transport and utility roles using equipment kits installed externally on existing hardpoints
the oh-58d is equipped with two universal quick change weapons
pylons each pylon can be armed with two hellfire missiles seven hydra 70 rockets
two air-to-air stinger missiles or 1.50 caliber fixed forward machine gun lockheed
martin successfully test-fired its dagger-guided rockets from the oh-58d kiel warrior helicopter
mission processors control the suite of mission subsystems via a military standard 1553b bus
an onboard computer provides laser ranging and target location within 10m