Baldwin Mono Tiltrotor

Last updated
Mono Tiltrotor
CUAS icon blue.jpg
The Mono Tiltrotor Scaled Demonstrator (MTR-SD). The cargo pod is suspended from the unmanned fuselage.
RoleTiltrotor
National originUnited States of America
ManufacturerBaldwin
DesignerG. DBaldwin.

The Baldwin Mono Tiltrotor project is a research effort into a tiltrotor aircraft that uses only one rotor. Like other tiltrotor configurations, the mono tiltrotor combines the vertical lift capability and structural efficiency of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.

Contents

Development

Work on the Mono Tiltrotor (MTR) was initiated in 2004. A concept study was performed under an Office of Naval Research contract and this study concluded that the MTR, if technically realizable, would be half the size and one-third the weight of legacy helicopter concepts for a 1,000-nautical-mile (1,900 km) mission. [1]

In 2005 and 2006, design of the 9400 pound gross weight MTR Scaled Demonstrator (MTR-SD) was performed under a United States Army contract at the US Army Research Laboratories. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] This work included the following tasks: engine selection; transmission design; hub, controls, and blade preliminary design; comprehensive performance and aeroelastic analysis; analysis of critical stress concentrations; conceptual design of the fixed wing and cargo pod; wind tunnel testing of wing deployment; [8] and longitudinal static stability analysis from hover through cruise. This work resulted in a definition of each component's and each subassembly's weight, moments of inertia, location on the aircraft, and aerodynamic drag. The predicted range and speed were derived from this aircraft design data.

In 2007 and 2008, demonstrations and validations of the MTR-SD design were performed under an Army contract. [9] [10] [11] [12] The three unprecedented hardware mechanisms of the MTR were demonstrated in small scale flight tests: 1) the aerodynamically deployed wing panels; 2) the pitch axis suspended cargo pod; and 3) the tilting centerline rotor. Furthermore, a 7-foot (2.1 m) diameter rotor remote control MTR Functional Demonstrator (MTR-FD) that integrates these three features was designed, built, and hover tested. [13] Bell Helicopter Textron used proprietary methods for advanced concept design and analysis to validate the 25-foot-diameter (7.6 m) rotor MTR-SD design. Bell Helicopter's assessment resulted in validations of the MTR-SD vertical lift capacity, engine power required and power available, cruise thrust and propulsive efficiency, aircraft weight, and airplane mode cruise lift. Bell Helicopter also generated and reported MTR-SD flight dynamics data. A computational fluid dynamics drag assessment was performed, and in combination with the Bell Helicopter assessment this validated MTR-SD projected drag and aircraft cruise range performance. [9]

In early 2009, a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) video was produced showing the MTR-SD performing the missions specified in the United States Marine Corps - Cargo Unmanned Aircraft System - Universal Need Statement (USMC Cargo UAS UNS) [14] and in the Office of Naval Research – Cargo Unmanned Aircraft System – Request for Information (ONR Cargo UAS RFI). [15] [16] In early 2010, under a multi-year contract with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), [17] the CONOPs and aircraft design were refined for Navy shipboard compatibility. [18]

On October 2, 2010, the first full conversion between helicopter and airplane modes of flight was achieved using a revised Mono Tiltrotor - Functional Demonstrator (MTR-FD), 4 foot diameter, small-scale remote control model. [19]

Specifications

Data from Baldwin Technology Company, LLC. [20]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VTOL</span> Aircraft takeoff and landing done vertically

A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-wing aircraft and other hybrid aircraft with powered rotors such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and gyrodynes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiltrotor</span> Aircraft type

A tiltrotor is an aircraft that generates lift and propulsion by way of one or more powered rotors mounted on rotating shafts or nacelles usually at the ends of a fixed wing. Almost all tiltrotors use a transverse rotor design, with a few exceptions that use other multirotor layouts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tandem-rotor aircraft</span> Helicopter with two horizontal rotor assemblies

A tandem-rotor aircraft is an aircraft with two large helicopter rotor assemblies mounted one in front of the other in the horizontal plane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing X-50 Dragonfly</span> US experimental drone aircraft

The Boeing X-50A Dragonfly, formerly known as the Canard Rotor/Wing Demonstrator, was a VTOL rotor wing experimental unmanned aerial vehicle that was developed by Boeing and DARPA to demonstrate the principle that a helicopter's rotor could be stopped in flight and act as a fixed wing, enabling it to transition between fixed-wing and rotary-wing flight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helicopter rotor</span> Aircraft component

On a helicopter, the main rotor or rotor system is the combination of several rotary wings with a control system, that generates the aerodynamic lift force that supports the weight of the helicopter, and the thrust that counteracts aerodynamic drag in forward flight. Each main rotor is mounted on a vertical mast over the top of the helicopter, as opposed to a helicopter tail rotor, which connects through a combination of drive shaft(s) and gearboxes along the tail boom. The blade pitch is typically controlled by the pilot using the helicopter flight controls. Helicopters are one example of rotary-wing aircraft (rotorcraft). The name is derived from the Greek words helix, helik-, meaning spiral; and pteron meaning wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piasecki Aircraft</span> American aircraft producer

The Piasecki Aircraft Corporation (PiAC) is a manufacturer of aircraft, principally advanced rotorcraft. It was founded by American vertical flight pioneer Frank Piasecki to develop compound helicopters and other advanced rotorcraft after he was ousted from the leadership of his first company, Piasecki Helicopter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gyrodyne</span> Type of VTOL aircraft

A gyrodyne is a type of VTOL aircraft with a helicopter rotor-like system that is driven by its engine for takeoff and landing only, and includes one or more conventional propeller or jet engines to provide forward thrust during cruising flight. During forward flight the rotor is unpowered and free-spinning, like an autogyro, and lift is provided by a combination of the rotor and conventional wings. The gyrodyne is one of a number of similar concepts which attempt to combine helicopter-like low-speed performance with conventional fixed-wing high-speeds, including tiltrotors and tiltwings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helicopter</span> Type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally-spinning rotors

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft and many forms of short take-off and landing (STOL) or short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft cannot perform without a runway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell Boeing Quad TiltRotor</span> Proposed four-rotor derivative of the V-22 Osprey

The Bell Boeing Quad TiltRotor (QTR) is a proposed four-rotor derivative of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey developed jointly by Bell Helicopter and Boeing. The concept is a contender in the U.S. Army's Joint Heavy Lift program. It would have a cargo capacity roughly equivalent to the C-130 Hercules, cruise at 250 knots, and land at unimproved sites vertically like a helicopter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disk loading</span> Characteristic of rotors/propellers

In fluid dynamics, disk loading or disc loading is the average pressure change across an actuator disk, such as an airscrew. Airscrews with a relatively low disk loading are typically called rotors, including helicopter main rotors and tail rotors; propellers typically have a higher disk loading. The V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft has a high disk loading relative to a helicopter in the hover mode, but a relatively low disk loading in fixed-wing mode compared to a turboprop aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing AH-6</span> Type of aircraft

The Boeing AH-6 is a series of light helicopter gunships based on the MH-6 Little Bird and MD 500 family. Developed by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, these include the Unmanned Little Bird (ULB) demonstrator, the A/MH-6X Mission Enhanced Little Bird (MELB), and the proposed AH-6I and AH-6S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Future Vertical Lift</span> Planned family of US military helicopters

Future Vertical Lift (FVL) is a plan to develop a family of military helicopters for the United States Armed Forces. Five different sizes of aircraft are to be developed, sharing common hardware such as sensors, avionics, engines, and countermeasures. The U.S. Army has been considering the program since 2004. FVL is meant to develop replacements for the Army's UH-60 Black Hawk, AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook, and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters. The precursor for FVL is the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) helicopter program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clean Sky</span>

The Clean Sky Joint Undertaking (CSJU) is a public-private partnership between the European Commission and the European aeronautics industry that coordinates and funds research activities to deliver significantly quieter and more environmentally friendly aircraft. The CSJU manages the Clean Sky Programme (CS) and the Clean Sky 2 Programme (CS2), making it Europe's foremost aeronautical research body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell V-280 Valor</span> American tiltrotor VTOL aircraft

The Bell V-280 Valor is a tiltrotor aircraft being developed by Bell Helicopter for the United States Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program. The aircraft was officially unveiled at the 2013 Army Aviation Association of America's (AAAA) Annual Professional Forum and Exposition in Fort Worth, Texas. The V-280 made its first flight on 18 December 2017 in Amarillo, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AgustaWestland Project Zero</span> 2010s Italian electric tiltrotor aircraft

The AgustaWestland Project Zero is a hybrid tiltrotor/Lift fan aircraft. It has been developed by AgustaWestland as a technology demonstrator, and is used to investigate all-electric propulsion and other advanced technologies. It is the world's first electric tiltrotor aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VTOL X-Plane</span> American experimental aircraft

The Vertical Take-Off and Landing Experimental Aircraft program is an American research project sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The goal of the program is to demonstrate a VTOL aircraft design that can take off vertically and efficiently hover, while flying faster than conventional rotorcraft. There have been many previous attempts, most of them unsuccessful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell V-247 Vigilant</span> Unmanned military tiltrotor concept

The Bell V-247 Vigilant is a concept by Bell Helicopter to develop a large tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonardo Next-Generation Civil Tiltrotor</span> Twin-engine tiltrotor aircraft demonstrator

The Leonardo Next-Generation Civil Tiltrotor is a tiltrotor aircraft demonstrator designed and developed by the Italian aerospace company Leonardo S.p.A. Studies for a two times larger tiltrotor than the AgustaWestland AW609 started in 2000. Since 2014, its development is sponsored by the European Union's Clean Sky 2 program. By May 2021, major components were under production By 2023, the maiden flight had been pushed back to 2024, from a 2020 initial plan.

References

  1. ↑ CONCEPTUAL DESIGN STUDIES OF A MONO TILTROTOR (MTR) ARCHITECTURE Leishman, J. G., Preator, R., Baldwin, G. D.,Conceptual Design Studies of a Mono Tiltrotor (MTR) Architecture, U.S. Navy Contract Number: N00014-03-C-0531, 2004.
  2. ↑ Document (MTR) Archived 2008-10-07 at the Wayback Machine Baldwin, G. D., 'Preliminary Design Studies of a Mono Tiltrotor (MTR) with Demonstrations of Aerodynamic Wing Deployment', AHS International Specialists Meeting, Chandler, Arizona, January 23–25, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Mono Tiltrotor Design Underway". Archived from the original on 2008-11-04. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  4. ↑ Baldwin, G. D., Mono Tiltrotor (MTR) Concept Evaluation, U. S. Army Contract Number: W911W6-04-D-0004-0001, RDECOM TR 06-D-40, DTIC Accession Number ADB324612, 2006.
  5. ↑ The Mono-Tiltrotor Final Project Report, U.S. Army Research Laboratory: Vehicle Technology Directorate, June 16, 2006.
  6. ↑ MTR FY 2005 Development Final Comprehensive Report, Eagle Aviation Technologies Incorporated, May 18, 2006.
  7. ↑ “Cargo Mono Tiltrotor is Fine Tuned” Archived 2008-12-05 at the Wayback Machine . Flight International, June 3, 2007.
  8. ↑ “Folding Tiltrotor in Tunnel Test”. Flight International, Nov. 4, 2006.[ dead link ]
  9. 1 2 Document (MTR) Archived 2008-10-07 at the Wayback Machine Baldwin, G. D., 'Mono Tiltrotor (MTR) Validation Activities', Proceedings of the 64th Annual National Forum of the American Helicopter Society, Montreal, Canada, April 29 - May 1, 2008.
  10. ↑ Baldwin, G. D., Mono Tiltrotor Validation Activities, U. S. Army Contract Number: W911W6-04-D-0004-0002, RDECOM TR 08-D-0069, July 2008.
  11. ↑ Assessment of the Mono Tiltrotor Scaled Demonstrator, Contract No: BTC001, Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated, January 23, 2008.
  12. ↑ Mavriplis, D. J., Computational Drag Study for the Mono Tiltrotor Scaled Demonstrator (MTR-SD), March 2008.
  13. ↑ Page Not Found 404 “Mono Tiltrotor makes progress, on a small scale”, Aviation Week Defense Technology Blog, May 12, 2008.[ dead link ]
  14. ↑ Universal Need Statement for The Cargo Unmanned Aircraft System (Cargo UAS), HQ USMC, August 27, 2008.
  15. ↑ Page Not Found 404 “VIDEO: Mono Tiltrotor as Cargo UAS”, Aviation Week Defense Technology, March 12, 2009.[ dead link ]
  16. ↑ Robot tiltrotor boxcar may fly Navy supply missions Archived 2009-08-06 at the Wayback Machine “Robot tiltrotor boxcar may fly Navy supply missions”, CNET News, March 21, 2009.
  17. ↑ Page Not Found 404 "Persistence Pays Off For Mono Tiltrotor Inventor", Aviation Week 171.16, October 26, 2009, page 64 [ dead link ]
  18. ↑ Document (MTR) Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine Baldwin, G. D., 'A Cargo UAS Design and CONOPs', Proceedings of the 66th Annual National Forum of the American Helicopter Society, Phoenix, Arizona, May 11–13, 2010.
  19. ↑ Mono Tiltrotor (MTR) Cargo Unmanned Aircraft System Archived 2010-10-14 at the Wayback Machine , Full Conversion Flight Demo (2 minutes)
  20. ↑ "Specifications". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-10.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.