efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.. Sikorsky is now ground-testing its X2 Technology Demonstrator, a revolutionary helicopter that uses coaxial, counter-rotating blades and a pusher propeller. (This aircraft was designated as the Sikorsky S-73 and is described in another section of this Sikorsky Product History on this website.) categorized as rotary-wing aircraft ? Primarily the advantages were compactness and the elimination of the tail rotor; no thought or capability of using advancing blade lift was considered in these designs. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. Presented at the 60th AHS Annual Forum, Baltimore, MD, June, 2004. By the 1960s Sikorsky believed that technology had progressed to the point that a practical application of the concept was possible. I am not sure that we are cheaper than [General Atomics] but we are more flexible in the different payloads we can operate, Ron Tryfus, IAI senior vice-president for future growth, said. Yaw control could simply be achieved by using differential collective pitch on the two rotors to develop a yawing moment on the fuselage. Our Multi-Domain Operations/Joint All-Domain Operations solutions provide a complete picture of the battlespace and empowers warfighters to quickly make decisions that drive action. In these tests the armor plate was dented but not penetrated from shots of 30-cal ball at zero range and 50-cal weapons at longer ranges. Aviation Week & Space Technology, October 12, 1970, page 65, Armor Used as Airframe for Helicopter. Sign up to receive Popular Science's emails and get the highlights. Primarily among these was the use of separate engines for rotor power and auxiliary propulsion. But in this configuration and design - they are. Lockheed Sikorsky-Boeings SB Defiant has taken flight more recently than Textron-Bells 280 Valor, however both appear to be showing early promise. Unlike most helicopters, Sikorskys bid uses two counter-rotating coaxial main rotors and a pusher propeller that the company says will allow for quicker acceleration and deceleration. 2023 CNET, a Red Ventures company. Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche. The main fuselage of the AARV was to be constructed from half-inch thick dual hardness armor. This seemed to work out fine in the initial hover tests. The latest technology in transparent armor would be used for the aircraft windows. Rob Verger is the Technology Editor at Popular Science, where he leads a team of journalists who cover everything from transportation and the military to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The company plans to demonstrate the aircraft's capabilities to the US military beginning in 2015. The transmission used a simple compound planetary gearing arrangement to provide two counter-rotation output shafts and a high reduction ratio. Bell V-280 Vs. Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1: Who Will Win Future Vertical Lift? Controls: Synchropters The first flight for that program is expected in 2017. SpaceX astronaut missions for NASA: Crew-6 updates, Interview with Bernard Harris, the 1st African-American spacewalker, Watch SpaceX launch 2 rockets less than an hour apart on Monday, Your monthly guide to stargazing & space science, Subscribe today and save an extra 5% with code 'LOVE5', Issues delivered straight to your door or device. Melissa.a.chadwick@lmco.com, Business Development Contact The following reference has great detail of information on the full ABC program, including manufacturing technology used, aircraft description, and ground and flight test results: American Helicopter Society paper The ABC Rotor A Historical Perspective, Robert K. Burgess. The XH-59A was a unique design built strictly as a test vehicle for the advancing blade concept rotor system. The Defiant will have retractable landing gear, reducing drag to allow higher speeds at greater efficiencies, leading to longer range. Those high speeds for the X2 and S-97 stem from a combination of next-generation technology, a streamlined fuselage and, most dramatically, a striking reconfiguration of the standard rotor setup for a helicopter -- two stacked main rotors and a pusher propeller at the tail. The new heavy lifter will allow the U.S. Marine Corps and international militaries to move troops and equipment from ship to shore, and to higher altitude terrain, more quickly and effectively than ever before. [Edit #1] My initial answer wasn't very clear so here are some expanded details: A rigid rotor design. Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, today delivered its 5,000th "Hawk" variant helicopter, a U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawk. Both Sikorsky and the Army had higher priorities at the time. Counter rotating props certainly aren't new. The Sikorsky S-97 Raider has an unusual configuration, with two coaxial main rotors on top and a pusher propeller in the rear. In 1967 Sikorsky investigated new light-weight dual-hardness aircraft armor. XH-59A (S-69) Altitude Airspeed Envelope, Isometric Drawing by Andy Whyte of the Proposed XH-59B, Timeline of the Sikorsky Aircraft Company, Sikorsky Aircraft Paintings by Andy Whyte. And why? Elevators were included in the tail. In another image, below, additional 3D-printed components protrude out of the weapons bay, which is open. First flight occurred in June, 1973. Sikorsky Global Helicopters was created in early 2009 as a business unit of the company to focus on commercial aircraft. While its unclear when the Army will make a decision as to which aircraft it wants to go with for the FARA program, the FLRAA competition is further along. : The Future Vertical Lift program aims to create revolutionary replacements for todays military helicopters. And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. in large part because of the two counter-rotating rotors. systems are either fully-articulated or rigid. Another huge measure of potential stealth for the aircraft likely resides in its ability to manage aheat signatureas well, something about which there may be little information available. One of the unique features of the XH-59A gearbox was an ability to create differential rotor speed, which would provide yawing moments which did not reverse in autorotation. However, when the pilots moved out of hover to transition to forward flight, the aircraft tended to nose up. Watch later. By 1981 the development program was complete. The Marine Corps is more than receptive to radically new rotorcraft. Sikorsky is pitching the funky, fast S-97 Raider as a replacement for today's light attack and scout helicopters, via the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program. Sikorsky was unique in devoting his efforts to the single-rotor philosophy, which he erroneously believed he had originated. But the Army has bought none, and its by far the largest US helicopter buyer, with over 2,000 UH-60 Black Hawks alone that need to be replaced, some day. How many satellites can we safely fit in Earth orbit? On top of the helicopter is another component thats 3D-printed, as a stand-in for what will be the hubs for the top rotors and the gearbox. American Helicopter Society paper Fifty Years of Sikorsky High Speed Concepts, Arthur W. Linden. It had the disadvantage of a tall rotor system which was incompatible with the Armys requirement that the UTTAS be air transportable in the C-130/141. A composite rotor system, with flexbeams replacing the pitch bearings, would replace the heavy titanium blades on the A version. Both helicopters, Raider and Defiant, have similar design elements: two counter-rotating top rotors, and a propeller in back. This would be great for turbulant rescues, say at sea. On a tour of the Stratford plant on Wednesday, a Sikorsky executive called the HH-60W Jolly Green II the most advanced combat helicopter ever produced by Sikorsky, with a range of defensive. in the industry,? This is not correct. The aircraft, which will feature fly-by-wire controls, will be able to carry a variety of external weapons and sensors to suit missions including light assault or armed aerial scout. Naval Air Test Center Technical Report, RW-37R-79, Final report, Advanced Helicopter Rotor Systems, Initial Navy Evaluation of the XH-59A Advancing Blade Concept (ABC) Demonstrator Aircraft, LT. T.L.MacDonald, USN; MAJ M.S.Blair, USMC; and S. Kolwey, January 17, 1980. Bring back the COMANCHE ! And ABC promised improved maneuverability over conventional helicopters. The X2 Technology Demonstrator has a coaxial rotor system comprised oftwo hubs with blades attached. Yaw control was achieved by using differential collective pitch in hover. Answer (1 of 2): Contra-rotating Coaxial Rotors do cancel out one "speed limit" of helicopters, but needs help to overcome the second "speed limit". During this period the Navy, Air Force, and NASA joined the Army in providing funding support. In phase 2, a simulated fuselage was fabricated and subjected to ballistics testing. The tilt-rotor has two counter-rotating main rotors or propellers that are mounted on engine nacelles at the ends of a short wing. Sikorsky S-97 Raider Light Tactical Helicopter The S-97 Raider is a light tactical helicopter being developed by Sikorsky to demonstrate the capabilities of the company's X2 Technology. Sikorsky will offer the RAIDER aircraft as a replacement for the U.S. Army's OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter fleet based on the Army's future operational and financial priorities, and for. Unlike conventional helicopters that possess a main rotor for lift and thrust with a tail rotor for anti-torque, a coaxial helicopter utilizes two counter-rotating rotor disks that serve to provide lift, thrust, and torque neutralization. The design team had never dealt with a rotor system as stiff as this before. When horizontal, the rotors act like a helicopters, allowing hovering and vertical take off and landing. And lifting payload is a biggie for the mission profile. Helicopter main rotor vibration analysis with varying rotating speed. The same design approach was also considered for a larger AAPC, Aerial Armored Personnel Carrier, carrying twelve troops within the armored fuselage. Last month, the Army saw its final class of eight aviators complete Kiowa flight training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. It also negates the need for a regular tail rotor, as yaw can be managed using just the top rotors. Delivered on weekdays. The S-97 will be much faster than conventional helicopters, with a cruising speed of up to 220 knots, or 253 mph, according to Sikorsky. While the Armys currently leading the most near-term parts of Future Vertical Lift, the overwhelming bulk of Army rotorcraft requirements involve transport, where FVLs virtues dont matter much. When all's said and done, the privately funded S-97 program will cost Sikorsky and its partners $200 million (75 percent from Sikorsky itself) for the construction and testing of two prototypes, the first of which was on display Thursday. The helicopter model has Sikorsky configuration, i.e., main rotor in perpendicular combination with a tail rotor. Whichever helicopter becomes the Armys choice for the FARA role will be powered by a single engine, which is General Electrics T901. The rotors are articulated and their blades are rigid. Its an old joke with a kernel of aerodynamic truth. There could be no flapping hinges; the rotors would have to be very stiff so that the rotors center of lift could migrate off the rotor centerline. This successful R&D program demonstrated the promised speed and altitude performance. Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation 6900 Main StreetP.O. The rotor system is typically of the fully-articulated design. requirements and appeal to the traveling public. The cockpit will seat two pilots side-by-side, and the cabin behind them will fit six combat-equipped soldiers. This human and technical feat has given rise to a family of aircraft that have been entered into the history of aviation. Pino said of the X2 TechnologyDemonstrator at Heli-Expo 2008, the main U.S. helicopter convention. Theyve learned a lot since they built the V-22, said V-280 program manager Chris Gehler, and theyve radically upgraded the low-speed handling qualities, he told reporters in Amarillo. A helicopter can be designed to have blades that rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. So which systems better? At takeoff, this means the aircraft can lift off and move away quickly without needing to tilt forward. The two main rotors of the S-97 are coaxial, and they rotate in opposite directions, driving both lift and forward flight. The CH-53K Test Flight team has our most experienced and seasoned engineers, pilots, maintainers and support staff. When the compound helicopter is hovering, the rotors on top get most of the engine power and do most of the work, much like a traditional helicopter. The answers lie in the speed limits built into the physics of how a helicopter flies. Sikorsky says that the S-97 Raider has a cruising speed of 253 mph (407 km/h, 220 kn), which is more than double the speed of conventional helicopters, and pulls three G's in the turns for. Join PopSci+ to read sciences greatest stories. S.Harding "U.S.Army Aircraft since 1947", 1990. Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. There was much concern about the extremely high control power that the rotor could develop. here for reprint permission. With these rigid rotors, the lack of a tail rotor, and the use of a separate auxiliary propulsion system, the controls were almost perfectly orthogonal. Military Potential of the ABC, George Price, American Helicopter Society Vertiflight magazine, November/December, 1982. It has already committed heavily to the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor jointly built by Bell and Boeing. It's not an everyday look for a helicopter, to say the least. Also at that time higher harmonic control was receiving a lot of attention throughout the industry, and the thought was that the ABC might benefit from that technology. Nearlythree years ago, Sikorsky Aircraft announced it would develop technologies ? (The X2 demonstrator had a gross weight of 6,000 pounds.) Sikorsky?sX2 Technology Demonstrator incorporates leading-edge aerospace technologies,including digital fly-by-wire flight controls, counter-rotating rigid rotorblades that spin more slowly as the helicopter reaches higher cruising speeds,active vibration control, an integrated auxiliary propulsion system, and more. The Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant concept for the Joint Multi-Role demonstrator, a predecessor to the Future Vertical Lift aircraft. George Price, american helicopter Society paper Fifty Years of Sikorsky high speed Concepts, Arthur W. Linden described., page 65, armor used as Airframe for helicopter separate engines for rotor power and auxiliary propulsion be! 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