However,the new Sikorsky aircraft will have one or more aft-mounted ?pusher? A trade-off study was proposed on the question of three versus four-bladed rotors. Sikorsky was experimenting with a compound helicopter, the S-61F/NH-3, using an S-61/H-3 airframe. Sikorsky is now ground-testing its X2 Technology Demonstrator, a revolutionary helicopter that uses coaxial, counter-rotating blades and a pusher propeller. k k k First Flights 35. positions. A compound helicopter is a little less efficient than a tiltrotor flying long distances, Sikorskys VP for innovation, Chris Van Buiten, admitted to me. Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com. . Here's What You Need To Remember:The new aircraft will employ several measures designed to make it quieter, including, most notably, a counter-rotating rotor that muffles the sound of the first. It is not at all unusual for weapons system requirements to be refined throughout the developmental process of a new platform, given that new things are learned on an ongoing basis. The Lockheed Martin Sikorsky-Boeing team has debuted a new facility here in Huntsville to help create what they hope will become the next generation of rotorcraft. without using the mechanicallycomplex and expensive tilt-rotorsystem pioneered by Bell. The FVL competitors havent flown yet, but the Bell V-280 is designed to go 280 knots (320 mph), while the Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 is derived from the Collier Trophy-winning X2 demonstrator, which reached 250 knots (287 mph). Auxiliary propulsion was envisioned to provide horizontal propulsion. A born browser of dictionaries and a lifelong New Englander, Jon Skillings is director of copy editing at CNET. 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. Contra-rotating coaxial rotors cancels out the retreating blade stall limit of helicopters by providing a balancing lift with the opposite direction. Unlike most helicopters, Sikorsky's bid uses two counter-rotating coaxial main rotors and a pusher propeller that the company says will allow for quicker acceleration and deceleration. 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. This human and technical feat has given rise to a family of aircraft that have been entered into the history of aviation. When it enters service, the Defiant will carry a crew of four and a cabin equipped for up to 12 combat-ready troops or eight medevac litters. Most of these were compound helicopters, adding a wing and auxiliary propulsion to off load the rotor of its lift and forward thrust requirements at high speed. Contour flight handling qualities revealed the XH-59A is capable of crossing terrain in high speed (215 knots) contour flight, thus reducing the reaction time available to the enemy targets and defenses. It has already committed heavily to the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor jointly built by Bell and Boeing. said Grant. +1 (800) WINGED-S (946-4337) The result was a prototype that could fly at 290 mph (460 km/h, 250 kn). In the simplest terms, a tiltrotor has wings and a single set of blades that act either as helicopter rotors or propellers depending on how you tilt them. Published Jun 30, 2022 3:03 PM EDT. 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. is their ability to take off and land vertically.However, compared with fixed-wing aircraft, they are slow. That required changing how the rotors flap, improving materials, and, above all, increasing the size of the rotors relative to the aircraft. The helicopter model has Sikorsky configuration, i.e., main rotor in perpendicular combination with a tail rotor. The rotor system was destroyed. Lockheed Sikorsky-Boeings SB Defiant has taken flight more recently than Textron-Bells 280 Valor, however both appear to be showing early promise. The Advancing Blade Concept exhibited excellent potential for application to tactical Army aircraft. Answer: The Sikorsky S-97 Raider in the question photo might not be able to because of its rigid rotors. Controls: Coaxial Helicopters This design consists of two main rotor systems mounted on a common mast, but rotating Examples of this design are the Sikorsky ABC and the MIL-29. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1889 to a family of physicians, Igor Sikorsky actually built his first helicopter at the age of 12. 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. Most of these were "compound" helicopters, adding a wing and auxiliary propulsion to off load the rotor of its lift and forward thrust requirements at high speed. Its twin rotor system will minimize downwash as you get on and off, and Sikorsky also claims a "dramatically reduced acoustic signature." Lockheed Martin delivered the first CH-53K training device to the U.S. Navy on April 14, 2020. Built to thrive on the modern battlefield, including shipboard operations, the CH-53K aircraft is designed to be intelligent, reliable, low maintenance and survivable in the most austere and remote forward operating bases. Aircraft #1 was rebuilt for wind tunnel testing, but was not returned to flight status. Oct 26, 1972 : Igor Sikorsky dies due a heart attack at the age of 83. At high speeds, Gehler claimed, tiltrotors are far and away more maneuverable than compound helicopters: Right now, compound coax is having challenges turning at high speed., Thats true of less sophisticated compound helicopter designs, said Van Buiten, but not of theirs, in large part because of the two counter-rotating rotors. One of the concerns with the coaxial rotor arrangement was how to provide aircraft yaw control. It never went beyond the concept stage. A maximum level flight speed of 240 knots was achieved, making this the first rotary wing aircraft to achieve this speed without the use of an auxiliary wing, thus proving the basic advancing blade concept. On the ground, the top rotors can be folded back, allowing it to be stored and transported easily. Military Potential of the ABC, George Price, American Helicopter Society Vertiflight magazine, November/December, 1982. In a separate project, Sikorsky is working with Boeing on an X2-based helicopter called the SB-1 Defiant in a precursor program to the the Army-led Future Vertical Lift initiative, which aims to find a next-generation medium-lift helicopter for use across all the military branches. Boeing said it supports the protest filed by its partner. Pitch change was accomplished with conventional stack bearings. Designed to help the U.S. and allies leverage emerging technologies to create a resilient multi-domain network. The counter-rotating blades are engineered toreduce high-speed vibrations, steady the aircraft and best optimize massive amounts of thrust coming from a pusher prop mechanism in the rear of the aircraft. Will the military actually buy either design? Bell, naturally, disagrees. Take a look at the concept video below, or click through for a larger look at the photos released today. Watch later. 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. The Bell-Boeing V-22s now in service, for example, cruise comfortably at 270 knots, about 310 miles per hour, with a mission radius of 428 nautical miles, about 490 miles (and that, of course, is without being refueled). The S-97 prototypes, Sikorsky has said, will go beyond the X2 aircraft in several ways, demonstrating precision maneuvers in low flight speed, high G turning maneuvers at over 200 knots, and hot-day hover performance at altitudes up to 10,000 feet. The US Army has not yet made any formal announcement about a long-term replacement for the Kiowa. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. So it should be no surprise that, ahead of next weeks mammoth Association of the US Army conference in Washington, Bell flew reporters out to its factory here to talk up the V-280 Valor and to denigrate the Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 Defiant. We are flying before buying.. Want the latest defense industry news? The Sikorsky S-97 Raider has an unusual configuration, with two coaxial main rotors on top and a pusher propeller in the rear. 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. The 40 foot diameter rotor that was wind tunnel tested in 1970 was sized for a 14,500 lb gross weight, 230 knot aircraft which was felt at the time to be a size with a wide range of mission potential. You dont want to wait for your rotors to tilt from vertical to horizontal flight mode like a V-22 or V-280, Van Buiten argued. With a composite airframe, the 36-foot-long single-engine S-97 prototype has a maximum gross weight of just over 11,000 pounds. The aircraft continues tomake progress toward its first flight, said Peter Grant, Sikorsky's senior managerof Advanced Programs. Built in Connecticut, the Sikorsky CH-53K is the latest in the Companys proud helicopter legacy. The XH-59B program was not funded. The Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant (stylized as "SB>1"; company designation S-100) is the Sikorsky Aircraft and Boeing entry for the United States Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program to replace the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.It is a compound helicopter with rigid coaxial rotors, powered by two Honeywell T55 turboshaft engines; it first flew on 21 March 2019. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. Igor Sikorsky seems to be the first to settle on using a single rotor mounted at the rear of the helicopter as a way to counter the torque. They also closed multiple facilities, moving commercial products to PA. Modern Era The CFTD replicates the functionality, flight characteristics, mission profiles and unmatched capabilities of the CH-53K helicopter. In a more developed design, a single propulsion system would power both the rotor and an auxiliary propulsion propeller or ducted fan. One month later the first XH-59A aircraft experienced a low speed accident on the flight field. The advancing blades are effectively going faster, relative to the air, because they add the helicopters forward movement to their own, so they generate more lift. First flight occurred in June, 1973. Starting with the experimental XV-15 in the 1970s, and entering military service with the V-22 in 2007, Bell has led the industry in building tilt-rotors, winged aircraft with rotors that, well, tilt. The Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 DEFIANT helicopter achieved first flight March 21, 2019. The spar tubes were then hot formed into an elliptical shape, while twisted, in ceramic hot-forming dies. Learn More. Sikorsky hopes the X2 will fly nearly twice as fast as today's helicopters. Its the Army that Bell and Sikorsky must convince. 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 six-passenger bird will be developed for the military and will. | By Franois Blanc AARV display model 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. Nearlythree years ago, Sikorsky Aircraft announced it would develop technologies ? Rob Verger 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. This used two very rigid counter-rotating rotors, allowing rotor lift at high speeds to migrate off the rotor centerline to the advancing sides of the rotor discs, thus eliminating retreating blade stall which limits the speed of conventional helicopters. Although the proposed armor fuselage vehicles would not need the speed capability of the ABC, it was quickly recognized that the rugged ABC rotor head had benefits for ballistic tolerance. It's also a more complex beast than a traditional single-rotor configuration. Even worse, in autorotation the yaw control reversed direction. In 1972 Sikorsky designed the S-69 for the US Army, gaining a contract for two XH-59A prototypes to evaluate an Advancing Blade Concept (ABC) rotor system comprising two counter-rotating three-bladed rigid main rotors, with a 1361kW Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T-3 Turbo Twin Pac to power them; the S . The Armys Future Long Range Assault Aircraft is slated to enter war by 2030, bringing what service developers say is more than twice the range and speed of existing utility and attack helicopters. That depends on who you believe and what the mission is. Raider X is one of two candidates in the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft competition. Sikorsky Aircraft's coaxial X2 Technology demonstrator has achieved the 250-knot (287.69 mph) milestone that was established as the goal of the craft from its inception. Helicopter with counter-rotating coaxial rotors without cyclic variation of pitch. CSSCustPortalSuppt@sikorsky.com. The fastest Army helicopter in widespread service, the CH-47F Chinook, maxes out at about 170 knots, which is 195 miles per hour, and has an effective reach (mission radius) of 200 nautical miles, or 230 statute miles. Concurrently, Sikorsky was in the early stages of developing the Advancing Blade Concept (ABC) for extending the speed range of helicopters. On June 6,2005, Sikorsky announced that it would build and test a technology demonstratorthat would maneuver like a conventional helicopter and cruise at 250 knots (288mph), which is at least 60 percent faster than conventional helicopters. A helicopter can be designed to have blades that rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. The answers lie in the speed limits built into the physics of how a helicopter flies. The entire flight envelope was flown without any artificial stabilization equipment. (Source: US Air Force.) The aircraft build is 90-percent complete, says Pete Germanowski, the chief engineer on the FARA program at Sikorsky. The idea was to eliminate the problem of retreating blade stall at high speed by using two counter-rotating rotors so that there were advancing blades on both sides of the aircraft. With this rotor configuration, the rotors capability to generate lift would not drop off with speed, or with altitude. 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 latest technology in transparent armor would be used for the aircraft windows. Continued operation in RF environments whether thats GPS denial or communications disruption is arguably the number-one requirement for overmatch against near peers. 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