Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur

Citation :: Sikorsky S-97 Raider light attack helicopter

In the 2020s the US military could be flying the fastest rotorcraft in the world — if Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider light attack helicopter and other concepts are successful in their bids for government procurements expected in the next decade.

Sikorsky is pitching a family of helicopter concepts that employ a contra-rotating co-axial rotor and pusher propeller with fly-by-wire technology to achieve a cruising speed in excess of 200kt.

These technologies were developed under Sikorsky’s X2 programme. This high-speed family includes the S-97 Raider light attack helicopter concept, a vertical unmanned aerial system (VUAS) version, and medium utility and medium attack helicopters, analogous to the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing AH-64 Apache respectively.

The second effort is the US Army’s Aerial Armed Scout (AAS) information collation and assessment activity, managed by its Program Executive Office Aviation, based at the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Today the Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior carries out the US Army’s armed aerial scout mission.

The S-97 Raider is Sikorsky’s submission for AAS. Flown by two pilots, the machine carries Hellfire missiles, 2.75in rockets and has 0.5in and 7.62mm calibre guns. With a maximum gross weight of 10,495lb including an internal auxiliary fuel tank, the S-97 is expected to have a range of 570km and an endurance greater than 2.7 hours with a cruising speed of over 200kt. The Raider utilises an eight-blade design, with four on each rotor, for ‘smoother flight and lower vibration’, according to Sikorsky information, and is powered by a 2,600hp engine. The Raider, Sikorsky also admits, may ‘look slightly different’ compared to the concept images and the mock-up.

First flight for the first Raider prototype is expected in 2014, with a second demonstrator flying six months later. Mr. Engebretson from Sikorsky explained that 2014 was the target because the company believes the US Army will start a procurement process with a request for proposals by that date. However, there will be no mission systems on board the prototypes in 2014, and they will instead serve to demonstrate the design and aerodynamic capabilities of the airframe and propulsion systems. The first prototype will become a Sikorsky test asset. The second will demonstrate X2 technology to the military.

The aircraft’s preliminary design review took place in mid-August 2011 and there were ‘no surprises’ according to Engebretson. The initial fabrication of components will start this year, with construction of the two prototypes planned for 2013. Sikorsky is building these prototypes with its own money and is putting together a team of partners. Aurora Flight Sciences has announced it is part of the Raider team. It is to design and build the prototype airframes. Media have also reported that General Electric Aviation is to provide the 2,500 to 3,000shp class CT7-8 engine for the Raider prototypes. The engine is also used in Sikorsky’s S-92 and MH-60M helicopters. In helicopter mode, with the pusher propeller idle, Sikorsky is claiming its co-axial rotor produces half the noise of a Boeing AH-6 Little Bird or Kiowa Warrior. This claim is based on noise levels recorded from a lOOkt flight with the X2 technology demonstrator.

Engebretson would not say who the other team members are, but he expects all the partners to be announced once all the contracts are signed. ‘We still have a couple of companies to negotiate with’, Sikorsky’s AAS programme director explained. The company declines to give a figure for the development cost of the Raider but says it will amount to ‘multiples’ of the $50 million spent on the X2.

As well as the Raider, Sikorsky has submitted other ‘options’ for AAS, but they declined to say what in size from light armed reconnaissance to heavy attack’. Asked if that range would mean Sikorsky was also pitching its medium attack concept, Engebretson said, ‘large attack would be overkill for something that is to do the job done by the Kiowa [Warrior]‘, indicating that it wasn’t.

Engebretson preferred to describe the company’s four concepts as helicopter missions to which X2 demonstrator technology can be applied. The VUAS version could be a candidate for the US Air Force’s expected Follow-On Unmanned Aircraft System acquisition. The DoD is expecting the USAF to have about 100 of the F/O UAS by 2021, with operations beginning in 2018. The F/O UAS is viewed as a successor to the MQ-9 Reaper. With its 200kt-plus cruise capability, the VUAS would also be applicable to the US Marine Corp’s Group 4 UAS, which is to have surveillance and strike capabilities. The DoD is planning for the latter to become operational in 2019.

Sikorsky’s medium utility and attack concepts are part of ongoing work the company is undertaking for DoD-funded studies. It has a contract for what is termed Joint Multi Role or JMR. The JMR is part of the DoD’s FVL effort. Engebretson explained that, for Sikorsky, JMR is focused on the medium-class aircraft because it represents the ‘largest portion of the fleet’, namely Black Hawks and Apaches. The requirements made public so far for JMR are a minimum cruise speed of 170kt, with a goal of up to 300kt, a payload capacity of up to 20,000lb or up to 24 passengers, and a range of over 400km. A 2017 technology demonstration has been proposed for JMR.

‘Only X2 can give the high performance and preserve all of the helicopter attributes, efficient low-speed flight and hot and high performance’, Engebretson argued, comparing the X2 technologies with compound and tilt-rotor designs. The DoD-funded Piasecki Aircraft X-49A was a compound helicopter. With a modified Sikorsky SH-60F Seahawk airframe, it had a wing and a tail-mounted vectored-thrust ducted propeller. It flew in 2007. However, the tilt-rotor Engebretson refers to is the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. Comparing the X2 concepts to the Osprey, Engebretson said that only the X2 had the ‘longer range and higher speed’ capability that the V-22 offers, while also keeping all the ‘helicopter attributes.’

However, Sikorsky faces competition from another contra-rotating, twin-rotor, pusher-propeller vehicle, the OH-58D AVX. This is the proposal from Fort Worth, Texas-based AVX Aircraft. It is a variant of the in-service Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, and AVX’s founders are former Bell engineers.

Busy promoting X2 technology for US government vertical lift needs, Sikorsky is not yet in a position to sell the co-axial rotor, pusher-propeller technology abroad. It hasn’t got clearance yet to talk in detail about X2 concepts with foreign governments but Engebretson said they had ‘started to talk to the Department of State’ about getting export approval.

For now, the Armed Aerial Scout will be the first test for the X2′s contra-rotating coaxial rotor and pusher-propeller technology and its S-97 Raider concept. If it wins, the tail rotor, at least, could become a thing of the past for US military rotorcraft.

http://www.kamov.net

Citation :: Sikorsky S-97 Raider

Citation :

Citation :: BELL V 280

Citation :: Bell unveils V-280 Valor

Bell Helicopter is unveiling a new third-generation tiltrotor aircraft concept called the V-280 Valor, which it is pitching for the US Army's Joint Multi-Role (JMR)/Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme.
The army hopes to field a new medium-lift rotorcraft to replace its fleet of Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks in the 2030s developed under its FVL effort. But the service does not simply want a new helicopter; it hopes to induct "leap-ahead" technologies that would enable its future rotorcraft to cruise at speeds approaching 230kt (426km/h). To this end, the army has launched a JMR technology demonstration effort and will select one or more companies to build a flying prototype that would be expected to take to the air in 2017.
While Bell's V-22 Osprey partner Boeing is teaming with rival Sikorsky to pitch a high-speed compound helicopter design based on that company's X-2 prototype, Bell has opted to pursue what it calls a third generation tiltrotor
Called the V-280, the Bell concept features a V-tail, a large cell carbon core wing and a composite fuselage. Unlike the older V-22 design, the engines do not move, only the rotor-system tilts, Bell says. Coupled with a fly-by-wire system, the aircraft should have excellent high and low-speed handling qualities, the company says.
The V-280 will be able to cruise efficiently at 280kt carrying 11 passengers comfortably with a mission radius of over 250nm (463km)

flyghtglobal

Citation :: Bell V-280 Valor, The Future of Vertical Lift Takes Flight

Citation :: Concept: AVX Aircraft

Sikorsky-Boeing JMR-FVL concept

Sikorsky X2

Citation :: Bell sélectionné pour la suite du programme JMR

Le 17/06/2013 à 16:35 | Par Gabrielle Carpel

Keith Flail, directeur de programme VLT militaire chez Bell, est confiant quant à la suite de son V-280, récemment sélectionné pour la première phase du programme JMR (Joint Multi-Role).

« En terme de coût total, nous faisons une énorme différence par rapport aux concurrents. Quand on parle de prix, il y a bien sûr le coût de l’appareil mais aussi les coûts d’opération. Notre V280 peut par exemple couvrir deux fois plus de champ de bataille que la flotte actuelle »

Avec ce programme, l’armée américaine cherche des hélicoptère de classe moyenne, capable d’atteindre une vitesse d’au moins 426km/h tout en gardant une grande manœuvrabilité. Le V280 de Bell a été sélectionné pour la suite en « offre de catégorie 1 », tout comme Boeing et Sikorsky qui ont présenté un dérivé du démonstrateur X2, un appareil avec rotors contrarotatifs.

Bell propose lui un titlrotor, la troisième génération de ce type d’appareil. Coté financement, l’hélicoptériste annonce être en discussion avec l’armée américaine pour diviser les frais d’investissement.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/defense/bell-selectionne-pour-la-suite-du-programme-jmr.html

Citation :: La Russie prépare ses hélicoptères à haute vitesse !

Les Etats-Unis et l’Europe ne sont pas les seuls à préparer l’hélicoptère à haute vitesse de demain, la Russie est également dans la course. Les constructeurs MIL-Mi et Kamov préparent chacun un projet, dont les deux prototypes doivent voler d’ici 2018.

En plus, de modèle de transport de passagers de base avec une cabine convertible appropriée pour les opérations en mer, la Russie envisage des variantes spéciales pour les missions de recherche et sauvetage, patrouille et d'évacuation sanitaire.

Deux modèles se profilent :

Mil Mi prévoit un appareil avec un seul rotor principal et une hélice propulsive avec ailette de direction. Cette conception offre un mélange intéressant entre le X2 de Sikorsky et le concept hybride X3 d'Eurocopter. Le projet Mi-X1 est conçu pour avoir un poids au décollage de 10 tonnes seulement et 25 sièges passagers et devrait avoir une autonomie de vol de 1500 km avec une vitesse estimée entre 450-500 km/h, ce qui sera possible grâce à l’hélice propulsive arrière et un certain nombre d'améliorations aérodynamiques, y compris un train d'atterrissage ré-tractable et un tronçon de fuselage avant et arrière simplifié.

Un problème cependant subsiste, car à ces vitesses, le rotor principal risque le blocage des pâles. Ce phénomène se produit à des vitesses d'environ 300 km/h et conduit à des vibrations qui peuvent finir par détruire le rotor. La solution de Mil à la lutte contre l'apparition de ce phénomène consiste en l’adaptation d’un système, qui décharge le rotor pour en éliminer les vibrations. Selon le designer en chef Nikolay Pavlenko, les concepteurs ont déjà testé le système en soufflerie à l’Institut central Aerohydrodynamics.

Le Mi-X1 pourra être alimenté par deux Klimov VK-2500 ou le futur Klimov VK-3000 actuellement en cours de développement.

De son côté, Kamov étudie le concept avec deux rotors principaux coaxiaux et une hélice propulsive à l’arrière, qui devrait permettre d’approcher également les 500 km/h pour un rayon d’action de 1400 km. Chez Kamov, le designer en chef Sergey Mikheev nous explique, que ce choix permettra de scinder les fonctions de vol horizontal et vertical entre les différents rotors pour éviter le fameux problème de blocage.

Le Ka-92 est conçu comme un hélicoptère de tourisme de 30 places avec une masse au décollage de 16 tonnes. Selon Mikheev, le premier prototype sera propulsé par deux Klimov VK-2500 équipés d'une nouvelle boîte de vitesses. Mais comme avec le Mil Mi X1, les concepteurs envisagent d'installer le Klimov VK-3000 plus puissant.

Pour les deux constructeurs russes, les hélicoptères à haute vitesse devraient trouver un marché d’ici 2025.

Photos : 1 Mil Mi X1 @ Mil Mi 2 Kamov Ka-92 @ Kamov

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2013/08/20/la-russie-prepare-ses-helicopteres-a-haute-vitesse-853615.html

Citation :: Bell et Lockheed Martin s’associent sur le V-280 Valor

Le 09/09/2013 à 16:21 | Par Gabrielle Carpel

L'hélicoptériste Bell vient d'annoncer qu'il s'associait à Lockheed Martin pour le developpement du futur hélicoptère convertible V-280 Valor. D’autres partenaires devraient rejoindre le programme et être annoncés dans les mois qui viennent.

Le Bell V-280 a été sélectionné en juin dernier par l’US Army comme candidat au programme JMR (Joint Multi-Role) afin de remplacer sa flotte de Black Hawk. Avec ce programme, l’armée américaine cherche des hélicoptère de classe moyenne, capable d’atteindre une vitesse d’au moins 426km/h tout en gardant une grande manœuvrabilité.

Sikorsky et Boeing sont aussi en lice avec un concept dérivé du démonstrateur d’hélicoptère hybride X-2.

L’US Army devrait attribuer d’ici la fin du mois de septembre le contrat pour le développement du démonstrateur. L’objectif est de réaliser un premier vol en 2017, en vue d’une mise en service opérationnelle en 2030.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/defense/bell-et-lockheed-martin-s-associent-sur-le-v-280-valor.html

Citation :: Sikorsky S-97 Raider nears final assembly

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Sikorsky is set to begin assembly of its S-97 Raider light attack helicopter this week and an announcement from the manufacturer is expected soon.

A Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. spokesperson confirmed the schedule, which marks the imminent entry of Sikorsky in a market likely to give the manufacturer an edge, at least for now, over competition in the tactical attack area.

"Imagine a next-generation attack helicopter platform so advanced that it can reach speeds more than 220 knots, flying as high as 10,000 feet in 95 degrees of heat," Defense News said. The Sikorsky S-97 Raider helicopter is poised to realize this vision and to revolutionize next-generation military aviation, the news website said.

Industry analysts told United Press International the S-97 carried huge potential in the right conditions.

Modern warfare is going through profound changes, not least because of the entry of increasingly sophisticated unmanned aerial systems. Advancements in unmanned aircraft are likely to see more innovations, multitasking and the appearance of various unmanned vehicles in military and quasi-civilian roles such as search and rescue.

Amid this flux comes the S-97 Raider with multi-mission capabilities expects to meet initially conventional U.S. Army and Special Operations future requirements in a variety of combat roles. Foreign orders usually follow on from there.

There could be S-97 Raider applications for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and the Marine Corps, Defense News said. Industry analysts told UPI similar versatility would likely be applied in any international purchases of the aircraft. There's a huge market waiting to be tapped in the Middle East, East Asia and parts of Africa, they said.

The S-97 was formally launched on October 2010 and is intended as a possible contender for the U.S. Army's armed aerial scout duties, replacing the Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.

The U.S. Special Operations Command is also said to be eyeing the aircraft as a a replacement for the HM-6 Little Bird though no details are known yet.

Sikorsky says the S-97 applies proven technology and mission systems to meet the Armed Aerial Scout requirements with low risk.

The aircraft should enter ground and flight testing in 2014, Flightglobal said on its website.

In addition to flying at nearly twice the speed of a conventional helicopter, the S-97 Raider prototype aircraft will incorporate other key performance parameters critical to combat operations: increased maneuverability, greater endurance, reduced acoustic noise signature, and the ability to operate at high altitudes, Aurora Flight Sciences said on its website.

Shephard Media reported in March Sikorsky has placed a $15 million price tag on the S-97 Raider, "as it attempts to convince the U.S. Army that the aircraft is a low-risk replacement for the Kiowa Warrior."

The price was mentioned by Sikorsky executives at the Heli-Expo exhibition in Las Vegas last March. Sikorsky has headquarters in Stratford, Conn.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2013/09/23/Sikorsky-S-97-Raider-nears-final-assembly/UPI-46821379972159/#ixzz2fpJdKRZ4

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Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Captur10

Citation :: Rolls-Royce boosts V-22's engine power

Rolls-Royce has achieved a 17% power increase for the AE1107C turboshaft engines that it provides for the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, according to company officials.
"The extra power will improve [the aircraft's] performance at higher altitudes," company spokesman George McLaren told IHS Jane's on 17 September during the Air Force Association's annual conference at National Harbor, Maryland.
The engine improvement is the result of three changes, according to McLaren. First, Rolls-Royce added a new Block 3 turbine that it has been installing into all new V-22s and replacing the turbines on older aircraft during regular maintenance, beginning in mid-2012.

http://www.janes.com/article/27158/rolls-royce-boosts-v-22-s-engine-power

Citation :: Sikorsky receives prototype S-97 Raider fuselage

Aurora Flight Sciences has shipped the largely carbonfibre fuselage for the S-97 Raider helicopter to Sikorsky’s West Palm Beach flight test centre in Florida.

Manufactured at Aurora’s Bridgeport facility in West Virginia, the structure will form part of a prototype of the high-speed compound rotorcraft, which will have a maximum gross take-off weight of 4,990kg (11,000lb). Revealed in 2012, the design draws on Sikorsky’s past experience with flying the X2 coaxial-rotor technology demonstrator.

Asset Image

Sikorsky

"Sikorsky intends to begin demonstrating the Raider helicopter’s game-changing flight capabilities to the US military and other potential customers in 2015," the company says. The design should deliver "significant improvements in payload and flight endurance compared with conventional light tactical helicopters", it claims.

A potential candidate for the US Army’s prospective armed aerial scout requirement, the S-97 should also be capable of achieving a dash speed of up to 250kt (462km/h), according to Sikorsky.

http://www.flightglobal.com

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Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

a écrit:: USA - Army Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche The RAH-66 Comanche was an advanced armed reconnaissance helicopter attack five blades designed for the U.S. Army. The RAH-66 program was canceled in 2004, before series production start, after nearly $ 7 billion was spent on the program.

Citation :: Eurocopter et AeroVironment réflechissent à des hélicoptères dronisés

Le 24/10/2013 à 17:51 | Par Gabrielle Carpel

L'EC145 d'Eurocopter dronisé en avril dernier.

Eurocopter et AeroVironment, fabricant californien de drones, ont profité du meeting AUSA (Association of the United States Army) pour annoncer la signature d’un accord de coopération. Le but de cet accord, dont on ne connaît pas les détails, est « d’explorer différentes opportunités ». La prochaine étape sera de faire signer un partenariat sur un programme en particulier.

Eurocopter ne donne pas de détails quant aux programmes qu’ils souhaitent étudier mais on peut penser que l’hélicoptériste français souhaite continuer à développer ainsi les hélicoptères dronisés. L’A-flight, programme permettant de développer une fonctionnalité OPV (Optionally Piloted Vehicle) pour les appareils d’Eurocopter, avait déjà fait voler un EC145 sans pilote à bord en avril dernier.

AeroVironment de son côté a annoncé chercher, à travers cet accord, à s’étendre dans des nouveaux marchés et développer des nouvelles capacités afin de « répondre aux futures exigences des clients ».

http://www.air-cosmos.com/industrie/eurocopter-et-aerovironment-reflechissent-a-des-helicopteres-dronises.html

Citation :: Premier vol de l’hélicoptère électrique à 18 rotors

http://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/premier-vol-de-l-helicoptere-electrique-a-18-rotors.N220925

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Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur 4cdc5300-4889-4be3-9a10-1fb0c573da7d

"Les belles idées n'ont pas d'âge, elles ont seulement de l'avenir"

Citation :: Production of Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider continues on track

Sikorsky continues to make progress on its S-97 Raider prototype helicopter, completing roughly one-quarter of the build cycle on the coaxial rotor, pusher-prop helicopter.

The company tells Flightglobal it remains confident in the viability of the design and the potential for an order by US Army, which is examining a replacement for its Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout helicopters.

The fuselage of the first Raider, which is made mostly of carbon fiber and other composite materials, rests in a hanger at Sikorsky’s sprawling facility not far from West Palm Beach, Florida.

asset image

The first fuselage of the S-97 Raider. Sikorsky.

The fuselage arrived in September from Aurora Flight Sciences, and is now being built into the first aircraft by a roughly 15 Sikorsky employees – largely the same crew that assembled the earlier X-2 test aircraft, says the company.

Sikorsky recently completed successful bird strike tests designed to ensure the aircraft’s fuselage would adequately absorb the shock endured from striking a bird the size of a chicken at 235kt, the aircraft’s expected top horizontal flight speed.

The company also completed successful fuel system drop tests to ensure the integrity of fuel tanks during a crash.

In April or May Sikorsky expects to begin drive train testing on an outdoor “transmission systems test bed.”

First flight is scheduled for late 2014. Initial test flights will be conducted with two test pilots, but Sikorsky may add a third test pilot to the programme after roughly 10h of flight time, says the company.

Like the experimental X-2, Raider has two counter-rotating coaxial rotors and a rear pusher prop that the company says will propel the aircraft to speeds of greater than 200kt.

The pusher prop also will make Raider much more maneuverable than conventional helicopters, with the ability to hover in a nose-up or nose-down attitude, a feature that will let pilots more-effectively fire at targets.

Sikorsky’s stated price of $15 million each makes Raider a more expensive option for the army than conventional helicopters.

But the company says the US military will find value in Raider’s speed and capabilities, and it thinks Raider will become a serious contender for a scout replacement once test flights demonstrate its ability.

In addition, Sikorsky says oil companies are “very keen” on X-2 technology as an efficient executive transport to offshore oil platforms.

http://www.flightglobal.com

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Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

Citation :: Nouvelle étape pour le programme Matrix de Sikorsky

Le 28/02/2014 à 19:40 | Par Gabrielle Carpel et Duncan Macrae

Le programme Matrix de Sikorsky vient de franchir une nouvelle étape avec le début de la phase 2 du programme d’essais en vol du démonstrateur S-76 SARA (Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft).

La technologie Matrix est un outil qui vise à aider le pilote en conférant à l'hélicoptère une plus grande autonomie. Elle doit permettre d'accroître la fiabilité des appareils et d'effectuer des missions complexes, opérations à basse altitude ou en terrain accidenté. Le but n'est pas de remplacer les pilotes mais de leur laisser les mains libres pour leur permettre de se concentrer sur leur mission, que ce soit des vols commerciaux ou militaires.

La plateforme Matrix se compose de capteurs, tel un Lidar, d'algorithmes de calcul – LLI (Low Level Intelligence) et HLI (Hight Level Intelligence) – et d'éléments mécaniques qui permettent la prise en charge du pilotage. Elle recrée ainsi une vision virtuelle du monde réel et l'intègre afin de pouvoir faire voler un appareil sans aide du pilote, depuis le décollage jusqu'à l'atterrissage. Après un premier vol au mois de juillet dernier, une première mission autonome a été effectuée à la fin de l’année dernière.

Pour cette deuxième phase d’essais, la plateform SARA a été doté d’une liaison de données et de capteurs multispectraux. Parmi les objectifs pour 2014, des démonstrations de vol en sécurité dans un environnement présentant de multiples obstacles, ainsi que la capacité d’appontage en mer et d’atterrissage dans des conditions de « brownout ».

http://www.air-cosmos.com/industrie/nouvelle-etape-pour-le-programme-matrix-de-sikorsky.html

Citation :: Sikorsky sets internal first flight goal for S-97

Sikorsky has set an internal goal to fly the S-97 high-speed helicopter by 1 December to kick-off a demonstration aimed at securing a military customer for the self-funded project.

A computer display inside the S-97 final assembly hangar on 5 May showed the S-97 is "209 days to first flight," allowing for the event to occur no later than 1 December on schedule.

Sikorsky opened the doors to the S-97 production hangar to reporters as part of the rollout ceremony for the CH-53K King Stallion.

The hangar revealed the mostly composite airframe of the S-97 is almost fully assembled, with wiring and some avionics systems. But the aircraft still misses a transmission and driver train, including a General Electric CT7 engine, coaxial rotor and pusher propeller.

Sikorsky plans to power-on the S-97 electrical system by the end of May, once all the wiring is completed.

The S-97 is designed to be twice the weight of the high-speed Sikorsky X2 prototype that was retired in 2012 after achieving speeds over 250kt in level flight.

Sikorsky launched the S-97 – with an estimated $200 million price tag, including supplier contributions – to open a new market for military and perhaps later civilian high-speed helicopters.

The S-97 is aimed initially at replacing the Boeing MH-6M Little Bird fleet operated by the US Special Operations Command. The US Army also has a requirement for an armed aerial scout, although it plans to divest the Bell Helicopter OH-58 Kiowa Warrior fleet.

http://www.flightglobal.com

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Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

Citation :: Nicetrip : l'hélicoptère convertible passe en soufflerie

Le 28/05/2014 à 16h39, par Gabrielle Carpel

La maquette Nicetrip a fini ses essais dans la
grande soufflerie S1MA de Modane © Onera

L'Onera vient de terminer les essais en soufflerie de la maquette "Nicetrip" (pour "Novel Innovative Competitive Effective Tilt Rotor Integrated Project"). Développé par l'Onera et le NLR (le centre de recherche aérospatiale néerlandais), le modèle à l'échelle 1/5 est basé sur le concept Erica (En-hanced Rotorcraft Innovative Concept Achievement), un convertible dessiné par AgustaWestland.

La particularité des "convertibles" ("tilt-rotor" en anglais) est que leurs rotors peuvent basculer, ce qui leur permet de décoller et atterrir verticalement, puis de voler comme un avion. Dans le cas de la maquette Nicetrip, les nacelles moteur ainsi qu'une section d'aile peuvent basculer indépendamment du corps de l'avion.

Les essais réalisés dans la grande soufflerie S1MA de Modane ont fait suite aux tests réalisés par le NLR et ont permis d'évaluer le comportement à haute vitesse et dans les phases de transition des demi-ailes basculantes.

Les conclusions de ce projet européen devraient servir de base aux futurs programmes de démonstrateurs de Clean Sky 2. Pour rappel, Airbus Helicopters et AgustaWestland se sont engagés à faire voler des démonstrateurs d'hélicoptères futuristes. Airbus HC devrait ainsi s’intéresser à un descendant du X3 alors que AgustaWestland planche sur un appareil plus gros que son AW609.

Pour mémoire, le programme européen Clean Sky 2 a été lancé le 7 mai dernier par le Conseil de l'Union Européenne. Le budget alloué au programme s'élève à 4 milliards d'euros et devrait permettre de développer des technologies pour l'aviation civile de demain.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/2014/05/28/22726-nicetrip-l-helicoptere-convertible-passe-en-soufflerie

Citation :: S-97 RAIDER™ Helicopter Powered On for First Time As Next-Gen Rotorcraft Moves Closer to First Flight

June 16, 2014
West Palm Beach, Florida - Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today announced it has turned on electrical power for the first time to the S-97 RAIDER™ prototype helicopter, signaling successful installation of the avionics system and a major step toward completing the assembly of the new – and first – light tactical rotorcraft featuring X2 Technology™. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

The key milestone on the first of two aircraft planned to be built in the RAIDER program took place May 28, 2014, at Sikorsky’s Development Flight Center where the aircraft is being assembled. The successful powering on means that the cockpit multifunction displays and control display unit (CDU) are operational, as are the CDU controlled electronic circuit breakers. The aircraft will undergo electrical power and avionics Acceptance Test Procedures (ATPs) for the next several weeks, to complete the checkout of the remaining avionics, electrical, and flight control systems.

“This is a big milestone for a development program; the aircraft comes to life when power goes on,” said S-97 RAIDER Program Manager Mark Hammond. He also noted that several RAIDER suppliers played a critical role in achieving the “power on” milestone, including the Sikorsky Avionics Product Center, Esterline-Korry, Esterline-Mason, United Technologies Aerospace Systems (UTAS), Lockheed Martin, Garmin, Avionics Instruments, BAE, Honeywell, Pacific Scientific, Northrup Grumman, Meggitt, and LMS.

The aircraft is about halfway through the assembly process, with several key components in production and scheduled to be installed in the next few months.

“This is next-generation rotorcraft taking shape, with an aggressive schedule for getting air under the tires of the first RAIDER helicopter before the end of the year,” said Mark Miller, vice president of Research & Engineering. “We are making great progress, and in the meantime are keeping our interested customers keenly aware of the exceptional performance that this aircraft will bring. We are really looking forward to showing its value to the U.S. military.”

The RAIDER is targeted to fly by the end of 2014. Sikorsky plans to demonstrate the aircraft’s capabilities to the U.S. military beginning in 2015.

The S-97 RAIDER helicopter is a revolutionary rotorcraft that will deliver X2 Technology in a new light tactical rotorcraft designed to outmatch conventional military helicopters in speed, maneuverability, and high altitude operations. The fly-by-wire controlled helicopter will feature counter-rotating rigid main rotor blades for lift and forward flight, and a pusher propeller for high speed acceleration and deceleration.

Sikorsky proved the efficiency of the rigid rotor co-axial design in 2010 when its 6,000-lb. gross weight X2 demonstrator helicopter achieved 250-knot flight speed, or twice the speed of conventional helicopters. It also demonstrated low pilot workload and low acoustic signature.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture, and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning opportunities for development, production and sale of helicopters. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in government procurement priorities and practices, budget plans, availability of funding and in the type and number of aircraft required; challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corporation’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

http://www.sikorsky.com

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Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

Citation :: Le Phantom Swift de Boeing pourrait voler d'ici 2017

Le 25/06/2014 à 10h30, par François Julian, à Saint Louis

Le Phantom Swift de Boeing © Boeing

Il pourrait préfigurer le futur de l'hélicoptère, voir même de l'aéronef de transport : le Phantom Swift de Boeing, un engin expérimental à mi-chemin entre l'avion et l'hélicoptère. On connaissait déjà le concept de l'hélicoptère convertible à rotors basculants, ou tiltrotor en anglais, formule qui a donné naissance au V-22 américain.

A la faveur d'un programme de démonstration technologique de la Darpa, baptisé VTOL X-Plane, Boeing va aujourd'hui plus loin avec le Phantom Swift, un concept d'aéronef hybride dont la particularité est d'être doté de quatre soufflantes : deux orientées verticalement et positionnées en tandem dans le fuselage, pour assurer l'essentiel de l'effort de sustentation, et deux en bout de voilures, carénées et orientables, qui servent essentiellement à la transition entre les phases de vol vertical et horizontal et à la propulsion durant cette dernière phase.

Selon Boeing, la combinaison de ces quatre soufflantes permettrait au Phantom Swift d'être 50 à 60 % plus performant qu'un hélicoptère en vol stationnaire, tout en lui permettant d'atteindre des vitesses de l'ordre de 550 à 740 km/h. Un tel engin permettrait également d'augmenter de 40 % la charge utile.
Pour le moment, ce dernier n'existe que sous la forme d'un engin radio-commandé, à l'échelle 1/8, qui a volé l'an dernier dans les installations du constructeur à Mesa (Arizona).

Mais Boeing espère bien faire voler un démonstrateur technologique plus gros, long de 14 m pour une envergure de 15 m, d'ici "quatre ou cinq ans". Ce dernier devrait être doté d'une motorisation assez classique (deux turbines CT7-8 fournies par General Electric). Pour autant, Boeing estime que sur un hypothétique engin de série, l'idéal serait d'aboutir à une motorisation hybride (kérosène/électrique), voire complètement électrique.

Lancé l'an dernier par la Darpa, le programme VTOL X-Plane a pour objectif d'étudier de nouvelles configurations d'aéronef, capable de décoller verticalement et de voler en stationnaire comme un hélicoptère, tout en ayant les mêmes performances qu'un avion en termes de vitesse, d'allonge et de charge utile. Le budget total du programme est de 130 M$, dont 47 M$ pour la phase 1 (phase de conception préliminaire. La Phase 2 sera consacrée à la conception détaillée, et la phase 3 aux essais en vol. Sikorsky, Aurora Flight Sciences et Karem Aircraft participent également au programme VTOL X-Plane.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/2014/06/25/23373-le-phantom-swift-de-boeing-pourrait-voler-d-ici-2017

Citation :: Behold the newest, fastest, most badass attack helicopter in the world

The S-97 Raider—Sikorsky new attack helicopter—is out and it is not only gorgeous. It's absolutely badass. It is based in the same technology as their X2 technology demonstrator, which broke the world helicopter speed record in 2010: 260 knots—that's 299.2mph (481.5km/h) vs the 172mph of conventional helicopters.

According to Sikorsky's Mike Miller, it "is an all-new helicopter, all-new configuration. We haven't seen something this new in 30 years." The Raider uses counter-rotating rotor blades with a push propeller on the tail. This unique combination allows it to pulverize all speed records.

Obviously, its weight is limited. This thing will not have the same kind of firepower as heavier helicopters, but it will be able to zip to any location and provide troop support faster than any other chopper.

The aircraft will not be operative in the US military just yet. In fact, only two Raiders are built. They will be tested during 2015.

http://sploid.gizmodo.com

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Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres Helicopters of the future / Hélicoptères militaires du futur Star3

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