Piasecki X-49 SpeedHawk

Last updated
X-49A "SpeedHawk"
Piasecki X-49A.jpg
X-49A SpeedHawk VTDP Technology Demonstrator in flight
General information
TypeExperimental high-speed compound helicopter
Manufacturer Sikorsky (original airframe)
Built by Piasecki Aircraft (modifications and testing)
StatusPhase 1 complete
Primary user United States Army
Number built1 prototype
History
First flightJune 29, 2007
Developed from Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk

The Piasecki X-49 "SpeedHawk" is an American four-bladed, twin-engined experimental high-speed compound helicopter developed by Piasecki Aircraft. The X-49A is based on the airframe of a Sikorsky YSH-60F Seahawk, but utilizes Piasecki's proprietary vectored thrust ducted propeller (VTDP) design and includes the addition of lifting wings. The concept of the experimental program was to apply the VTDP technology to a production military helicopter to determine any benefit gained through increases in performance or useful load.

Contents

"SpeedHawk" is a concept aircraft [1] based on applying X-49A compounding concepts to a production UH-60 Black Hawk offering better performance, range, and increases in useful load. The "SpeedHawk" aircraft includes an SPU (third engine), high forward-swept wing concept, a 45-inch "fuselage plug" cabin extension, and several other drag reducing and performance-oriented improvements, including a rotor hub fairing, landing gear streamlining, and a fly-by-wire flight control system.

Development

The U.S. Navy-sponsored project, worth US$26.1 million when announced in 2003 ($43.2 million today), consisted of a Sikorsky YSH-60F helicopter modified by Piasecki as a testbed to validate the "Vectored Thrust Ducted Propeller" (VTDP) system. One YSH-60F, powered by two General Electric T700-GE-701C engines, was converted to test the feasibility of VTDP.

The demonstration contract was awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command to Piasecki Aircraft. In addition to the VTDP, Piasecki installed a lifting wing with flaperons on the YSH-60F. [2]

The compound helicopter technology installed by Piasecki had been first demonstrated in trials of the Piasecki 16H-1 and 16H-1A “Pathfinder” in the early 1960s, when the helicopters were flown at speeds up to 225 mph (360 km/h). The success of the Pathfinder inspired others to experiment with compounding, resulting in programs such as the AH-56 Cheyenne.

In May 2003, the YSH-60F/VTDP demonstrator was redesignated the X-49A. [3] During 2004, the X-49A VTDP program was transitioned from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Army. [4]

In 2013, it was reported that Piasecki Aviation had made plans to use the VTDP design of the X-49 for their entry in the Future Vertical Lift program, [5] but were not chosen when that project moved into its Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) phase. [6]

Design

The X-49A flight demonstrator was developed with funding from the U.S. Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate to demonstrate the ability to increase the speed of existing helicopters to 200 kt (360 km/h) or more. [7] The flight demonstrator was updated with a lifting wing taken from an Aerostar FJ-100 business jet. A ring tail was added and the helicopter drive train modified to accommodate VTDP. Piasecki conducted integrated tests of the modified drivetrain at the Navy's helicopter transmission test facility. The wings were intended to produce lift to offload the rotor so the rotor could be slowed and produce less drag, allowing for higher speed. [8]

The cockpit controls were modified with the addition of a manual propeller pitch override on the collective lever for the ring tail. This is the only visible change to the aircraft's existing mechanical controls in the cockpit. The other controls needed to operate the compound helicopter's systems were integrated into the aircraft's existing mechanical controls to reduce pilot workload. The weight added to the X-49A demonstrator aircraft is estimated at 1,600 lb (730 kg) due to the requirement[ citation needed ] to not modify the existing mechanical control system.

Operational history

The X-49A made its first flight on June 29, 2007 [9] for 15 minutes at Boeing's New Castle County (KILG) flight test center. [10] This flight included hovering, pedal turns, and slow forward and sideways flight using the VTDP for anti-torque, directional and trim control. The X-49A project has been silent since completing its initial testing phase in 2008, with over 80 flight events and more than 80 total hours logged.[ citation needed ]

Specifications (X-49A)

General characteristicsPerformance

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk</span> Naval helicopter series of the H-60/S-70 family

The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modifications are the folding main rotor blades and a hinged tail to reduce its footprint aboard ships.

The CarterCopter is an experimental compound autogyro developed by Carter Aviation Technologies in the United States to demonstrate slowed rotor technology. On 17 June 2005, the CarterCopter became the first rotorcraft to achieve mu-1 (μ=1), an equal ratio of airspeed to rotor tip speed, but crashed on the next flight and has been inoperable since. It is being replaced by the Carter Personal Air Vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky S-67 Blackhawk</span> Prototype attack helicopter

The Sikorsky S-67 Blackhawk was a private-venture, prototype attack helicopter built in 1970 with Sikorsky Aircraft research and development (R&D) funds. A tandem, two-seat aircraft designed around the dynamic drive and rotor systems of the Sikorsky S-61, it was designed to serve as an attack helicopter or to transport up to eight troops into combat.

<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">Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne</span> Canceled US helicopter program

The Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne is an attack helicopter developed by Lockheed for the United States Army. It rose from the Army's Advanced Aerial Fire Support System (AAFSS) program to field the service's first dedicated attack helicopter. Lockheed designed the Cheyenne using a four-blade rigid-rotor system and configured the aircraft as a compound helicopter with low-mounted wings and a tail-mounted thrusting propeller driven by a General Electric T64 turboshaft engine. The Cheyenne was to have a high-speed dash capability to provide armed escort for the Army's transport helicopters, such as the Bell UH-1 Iroquois.

<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">Bell 533</span> Research helicopter built by Bell Helicopter

The Bell 533 was a research helicopter built by Bell Helicopter under contract with the United States Army during the 1960s, to explore the limits and conditions experienced by helicopter rotors at high airspeeds. The helicopter was a YH-40—a preproduction version of the UH-1 Iroquois—modified and tested in several helicopter and compound helicopter configurations. The Bell 533 was referred to as the High Performance Helicopter (HPH) by the Army, and reached a top speed of 274.6 knots in 1969, before being retired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky S-72</span> US experimental compound helicopter (hybrid helicopter/fixed-wing aircraft)

The Sikorsky S-72 was an experimental Sikorsky Aircraft compound helicopter developed as the Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United States Army. The RSRA was a testbed for rotor and propulsion systems for high-speed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky S-69</span> US experimental co-axial compound helicopter

The Sikorsky S-69 is an American experimental compound helicopter developed by Sikorsky Aircraft as the demonstrator of the co-axial Advancing Blade Concept (ABC) with United States Army and NASA funding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky X2</span> Experimental high-speed compound helicopter

The Sikorsky X2 is an experimental high-speed compound helicopter with coaxial rotors, developed by Sikorsky Aircraft, that made its first flight in 2008 and was officially retired in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne</span>

The Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne is an experimental British rotorcraft that used single lifting rotor and a tractor propeller mounted on the tip of the starboard stub wing to provide both propulsion and anti-torque reaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piasecki 16H Pathfinder</span>

The Piasecki 16H was a series of compound helicopters produced in the 1960s. The first version of the Pathfinder, the -1 version, first flew in 1962. The similar but larger Pathfinder II, the 16H-1A, was completed in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slowed rotor</span> Helicopter design variant

The slowed rotor principle is used in the design of some helicopters. On a conventional helicopter the rotational speed of the rotor is constant; reducing it at lower flight speeds can reduce fuel consumption and enable the aircraft to fly more economically. In the compound helicopter and related aircraft configurations such as the gyrodyne and winged autogyro, reducing the rotational speed of the rotor and offloading part of its lift to a fixed wing reduces drag, enabling the aircraft to fly faster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurocopter X³</span> Type of aircraft

The Eurocopter X³(X-Cubed) is a retired experimental high-speed compound helicopter developed by Airbus Helicopters. A technology demonstration platform for "high-speed, long-range hybrid helicopter" or H³ concept, the X³ achieved 255 knots in level flight on 7 June 2013, setting an unofficial helicopter speed record. In June 2014, it was placed in a French air museum in the village of Saint-Victoret.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky S-97 Raider</span> American high-speed scout and attack compound helicopter

The Sikorsky S-97 Raider is a high-speed scout and attack compound helicopter based on the Advancing Blade Concept (ABC) with a coaxial rotor system under development by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky planned to offer it for the United States Army's Armed Aerial Scout program, along with other possible uses. The S-97 made its maiden flight on 22 May 2015.

<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">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">VTOL X-Plane</span> American experimental aircraft

The Vertical Take-Off and Landing Experimental Aircraft program was an American research project sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The goal of the program was 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 as of 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky–Boeing SB-1 Defiant</span> Entry for the United States Armys Future Vertical Lift program

The Sikorsky–Boeing SB-1 Defiant was 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.

References

  1. ".aviationtoday.com". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  2. "Piasecki X-49 SpeedHawk (United States)", Jane's Helicopter Markets and Systems. Jane's Information Group, 9 May 2008.
  3. DOD 4120.15-L - Addendum, Designation-Systems.Net, 8 July 2008.
  4. Graham Warwick (2006-01-03). "Funding may block X-49 progress". FlightGlobal.com. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  5. The Other JMR/FVL Contenders Archived 2013-05-02 at the Wayback Machine - Aviationweek.com, April 12, 2013
  6. AVX joins Bell, Sikorsky/Boeing for Army's JMR-TD development - Flightglobal.com, 6 June 2013
  7. Graham Warwick (2007-07-03). "Piasecki flies X-49A SpeedHawk compound helicopter". FlightGlobal.com. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  8. Croft, John. Hyper Helos: Prototypes coming off the drawing board and into the race Flight Global , 2008. Accessed: 17 February 2011.
  9. "Piasecki Achieves First Flight of the X-49A VTDP Compound Helicopter Technology Demonstrator" Archived 2014-03-14 at the Wayback Machine , Piasecki Aircraft, June 29, 2007.
  10. "Rotorcraft Report: Piasecki SpeedHawk Starts Flight Tests" Archived 2014-03-14 at the Wayback Machine , Rotor & Wing Magazine, August 1, 2007.