Aircraft

Sikorsky's new tilt-wing hybrid VTOL aircraft promises 575-mile range

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Artist's concept of the Sikorsky HEX/VTOL tilt-wing aircraft
Lockheed Martin
Artist's concept of the Sikorsky HEX/VTOL tilt-wing aircraft
Lockheed Martin
The new Sikorsky HEX/VTOL family
Lockheed Martin

Sikorsky is developing a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (HEX/VTOL) tilt-wing demonstrator, one of a new family of hybrid rotorcraft that will also offer pilot-optional autonomous flight.

There are so many companies building unconventional rotorcraft, many of which are electric or hybrid electric, that one more added to the growing list wouldn't warrant much attention. However, when the newest one is a major player in the aerospace world like Sikorsky, it's time to sit up and take notice.

The February 27 announcement isn't heavy on details, but does present a lot of insight into what's to come in the field of rotorcraft – especially from the mainstream competitors.

The new Sikorsky HEX/VTOL family
Lockheed Martin

The new HEX program by the Lockheed Martin subsidiary features three hybrid, autonomous rotorcraft. One is a conventional helicopter, while the second is a quadcopter with tiltable propulsion nacelles. But the party piece is a tilt-wing design that allows for vertical takeoffs and landings, as well as the ability to transition to winged horizontal flight for greater speed and range.

The goal is to combine high speed with a range in excess of 500 nm (575 miles, 926 km). The completed demonstrator will have a maximum gross weight of 9,000 lb (4,000 kg) and feature a 1.2 MW-class turbogenerator. In the meantime, Sikorsky Innovations and GE Aerospace are completing a hybrid-electric power systems testbed with a 600 KW electric motor for hover performance tests.

The new HEX family will include different degrees of electrification. This allows for a mechanically simpler design, which is essential for a tilt-wing or tilt-rotor craft that often has problems with complex power and control mechanical linkage systems. In addition, the new vehicles will enjoy a high degree of autonomy, making them pilot optional.

"Within Sikorsky’s electric pillar, we are designing electric motors, power electronics and our own vehicle management hardware and actuation," said Igor Cherepinsky, Sikorsky Innovations director. "HEX will integrate these components, showcase the growing maturity of our MATRIX autonomy suite, and the potential for maintenance-free systems. Seeing the results will lead us to more efficient overall designs."

Source: Lockheed Martin

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8 comments
Rusty
Yeah, because the V22 Osprey has been SO successful in the military...
Towerman
@Rusty
I was going to say bad things too then i sat back and gave the last paragraph another read.

If they make it electric like they say they are, they essentially eliminate most all the problems related to the outdated V22

So i give them a props up for this one and believe this beast will be reliable !
Lets see them in the air SOON !
BlueOak
Talk, plastic models, and renderings are cheap. Seems more like a PR event to stoke the investors. When there’s a full scale prototype flying it will be more interesting.
Jinpa
"..."HEX will integrate these components, showcase the growing maturity of our MATRIX autonomy suite, and the potential for maintenance-free systems." Sure. Nothing that flies other than a bird has been or ever will be maintenance free. And aircraft maintenance, with FAA 100-hour inspection requirements, always has been and always will be anything but free.
"
JeJe
Similar payload/range to the Electra's hybrid-electric STOL with its $8 billion in pre-orders. The AW609 also carries about the same number of passengers - that tilt rotor's first flight was over 20 years ago, type certification is 17 years late...
Laszlo
Although picking hybrid propulsion for the multirotor VTOL is a fundamentally correct decision, one question still remains open.

Many experts have established earlier, the well-known "Osprey problem” essentially is a rotor blade problem. Most of the times, when other parts of present day tiltrotors failed in accidents, and were named as culprits, in fact were either coincidences or – prevalently – failed as a consequence of the preceding rotor failure. (Extensive blade stall, VRS, loss of lift, blade detachment etc. are types of rotor failure.)

Wonder if Sikorsky, in its new project, will also address the rotor blade issue that has been plaguing the high end tiltrotor industry for decades. In particular, the need during design, to bargain top speed for vertical liftoff and hover performance, or vice versa.

Towerman
@jinpa as usual your points bare no relevant so what if there is maintenence the big advantage of electrics is that.there is little maintenence needed and.that its much easier to work.with thats all that needed to be said.
Towerman
@laszlo.the.rotor issue was.not the only issue.
the complex heavy gearbox system was also problematic.

Since you brought the blades up, they simpl.y need to.redesign.the blades
..They need to think RAH-66...

O.i.miss that chopper....