Sikorsky X2
| Sikorsky X2 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sikorsky X2 at MacDill Air Force Base |
|
| Type: | Experimental helicopter |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
August 27, 2008 |
| Commissioning: |
Discontinued |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Sikorsky X2 is an experimental high-speed helicopter designed as a flight helicopter from the US manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation . It uses two counter-rotating coaxial rotors with extremely stiff blades and an additional thrust propeller at the stern , which enables the aircraft to reach speeds of up to 460 km / h. It serves as a technology demonstrator for the Sikorsky S-97 .
history
The development of the Sikorsky X2 was announced on June 1st, 2005. The helicopter had its maiden flight on August 27, 2008 in Horseheads , New York State , at the Swiss Aircraft Corporation with test pilot Kevin Bredenbeck on board. Schweizer, a subsidiary of Sikorsky since August 2004, also built the X2 under the factory name Schweizer 41A .
In May 2010 the X2 reached a top speed of 335 km / h and on July 26, 2010 it reached 225 kn (417 km / h). On September 15, 2010, the X2 reached William P. Gwinn Airport ( 26 ° 54 '23.8 " N , 80 ° 19' 8.8" W ) near West Palm Beach , United States, on a one and a half hour test flight Florida reached the development target of 250 knots true airspeed (463 km / h) in level flight and was 34 knots faster than the Westland Lynx , which held the top speed record for helicopters at 216 knots (400 km / h) since 1984. This goal of the X2 was achieved after 17 test flights with a total duration of 16.5 hours. The X2 even reached a speed of 260 knots (481 km / h) in orbit flight from 2 ° to 3 °.
Around 1980, the Sikorsky S-69 aircraft with 2 side-mounted turbine jet engines reached a top speed of 518 km / h, which is not an independent speed record for helicopters due to the additional acceleration provided by the additional side engines.
The S-69 and X-2 master these speeds, which are unusually high for helicopters, thanks to two counter-rotating, coaxial rotors, of which only the wings on the side on which they rotate forwards contribute to the lift at high flight speeds. According to the new “Advancing Blade Concept” (ABC), the blades opposite are relieved. Both flight screwdrivers manage without (small) wings.
On October 20, 2010, Sikorsky announced that it would develop the Sikorsky S-97 from the X2 . As a result, the X2 program was discontinued after only 23 flights.
The Russian manufacturer Kamow , who has always used the coaxial construction, is also working with the Ka-92 on a fast, civilian touring helicopter with a propeller.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| Rotor diameter | 8.05 m |
| Rotor configuration | 2 × coaxial, 4 sheets each |
| propeller | Thrust propeller with 6 blades |
| length | k. A. |
| height | k. A. |
| Empty mass | k. A. |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 3600 kg |
| Top speed in level flight | 463 km / h = 250 kn |
| Top speed in diving flight | 481 km / h = 260 kn |
| Range | 1300 km |
| Engine | an LHTEC T800-LHT-801 shaft turbine with an output of up to 1340 kW |
Comparable types of aircraft
Web links
- Sikorsky: manufacturer website
- Flight review, photo and technical data (accessed on March 18, 2009)
- ieee spectrum: The Fastest Helicopter on Earth , September 2010
- youtube.com: 2011 Collier Award (5 min)
Individual evidence
- ^ Faster Blades in AIR International, March 2011, p. 70
- ↑ FlugRevue October 2008, p. 18, X2 takes off for the first flight
- ↑ FlugRevue July 2010, p. 16, X2 is aiming for 460 km / h
- ^ Sikorsky X2 sets unofficial helicopter speed record (Flight International). flightglobal.com, July 26, 2010, accessed June 7, 2011 .
- ↑ Sikorsky X2 hits 250kt goal (Flight International). flightglobal.com, September 15, 2010, accessed September 16, 2010 .
- ↑ Joy Finnegan: Sikorsky Breaks 250 KTAS Record. Rotor & Wing, October 1, 2010, accessed June 13, 2013 .
- ↑ sikorsky.com: Sikorsky Commits to Build X2 TechnologyTM Prototypes to Advance Military Rotary Wing Operations of October 20, 2010
- ↑ Video and article about setting the X2 program to wired. com , accessed March 11, 2012
- ↑ Kamov.ru:KA-92 ( Memento of November 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on October 16, 2010