430 kilometers per hour - demonstrator of the high-speed hybrid helicopter "Eurocopter X3 Hybrid"

The European company Eurocopter, part of the EADS corporation, launched the Eurocopter X3 Hybrid demonstration tour in the United States. The demonstration began with the state of Texas is no accident, because there is the headquarters of the company "American Eurocopter" - offices "Eurocopter" in the United States.

During the demonstration of the helicopter, European developers are going to interest the American military and civilian potential customers with the unique capabilities of a promising hybrid helicopter. The tour will take place over 30 days and will visit a number of civilian and military airfields.

The demonstrator is based on the airframe serial "EC155 Dauphin". Externally, it is distinguished by the presence of two screws mounted on a small wing on the sides of the helicopter. They are installed perpendicular to the rotor and provide the pulling effect and speed of a turboprop aircraft - more than 400 kilometers per hour. The tail screw of the fenestron type was removed, instead of it a standard flat tail was installed, having an 2 th vertical stabilizer and a steering wheel. This performance provides the demonstrator the ability to achieve maximum speed and takeoff and landing of the vertical type.

The main purpose of the promising long-range hybrid high-speed helicopter "Eurocopter X3 Hybrid", the capabilities of which the Demonstrator is showing today, is to perform a wide range of civilian and military tasks, such as:
- rescue missions to search for people in large areas;
- evacuation of the wounded and military personnel from the battlefield;
- protection of coastal areas;
- observation and patrolling of state borders;
- high-speed transportation of passengers and small cargoes;
- work on intercity transportation;
- transfer and relocation of armed forces units.

The use of innovations in the creation of helicopters is the main strategy of the European company Eurocopter, which allows the company to maintain its leading position in the market of rotary-wing machines. For three years, the developers managed to create an experimental model and lift it into the air, after demonstrating the concept of the promising hybrid helicopter Eurocopter X3 Hybrid. For the first time, an experimental model of the Eurocopter X3 Hybrid rises into the 6.09.2010 sky of the year in the south of France, at the DGA Flight Testing airbase near the city of Istres. The flight was closely watched by representatives of the French arms procurement agency. The trial tests lasted for three months, during which the prototype reached the speed of 333 km / h and carried out maneuvers / figures of complex execution.

From December to March, various modifications of the helicopter were carried out based on the results of the passed tests, and the modified hybrid rotary-wing aircraft again rose into the sky to continue the tests. 12.05.2011 of the year, during the next test flight, the helicopter reached a speed of 430 km / h. This is one of the speed records for rotary-winged cars, the previous record - 463 km / h set “Sikorsky X2”. The helicopter is planned to be produced in various versions, based on customer requirements. At this time, an American customer is searching for a high-speed hybrid helicopter Eurocopter X3 Hybrid.

Information sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cPYKktIdvoM
http://new-technology21.blogspot.com/2011/06/eurocopter-x3-hybrid.html
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_X3
http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2012/06/the-eurocopter-x3-hybrid-aircraft-lands-in-the-united-states-for-tour.html

Comments

[Forget]

A bunch of engines .... what makes it all better to make a gyroplane

[755962]

The development is interesting, undoubtedly. But I think it’s limited by experimental cars. What is the reason for the garden. They have the Bell V-22 Osprey and the speed (463 km / h) and the carrying capacity is not small. Only large.

[postman]

Quote: 755962

They have a Bell V-22 Osprey

These are devices of different principle, complexity, class and purpose.
And the cost (reduced to kg) is VERY different
Bell V-22 / MV-22 Osprey ($ 71 million) - here he will lose dry.
And also:
-heavy nacelles with engines placed on the edges of the wings, which requires their increased strength (cost)
- during an emergency landing: touching the surface with gondolas turned horizontally and the destruction of the propeller blades
- reinforced the design of the nose of the fuselage and the cockpit to prevent injuries and death of the crew during the destruction of the aircraft, which requires the use of a larger number of expensive composites and increases empty weight.
- difficulty in management (stabilization by roll and pitch), requires ACS

[postman]

Quote: Forget

better gyroplane

And what about the lack of the possibility of hanging in place,
with vertical climb and descent ????

At a speed (which is no more helicopter in the AF)?
With an icing problem?
With a somersault, a dead zone of autorotation?

[77bor1973]

It’s a pity that our people did not begin to continue the topic of the Ka-22 and Mi-12!

[Bad_gr]

Quote: 77bor1973

It’s a pity that our people did not begin to continue the topic of the Ka-22 and Mi-12!

Mi-12 (B-12) with a loading capacity of 40 tons - I think it’s not often necessary to have such a helicopter, and using it without being loaded is hardly economically feasible.

[Pessimist]

Quote: Forget

better gyroplane

Autogyro is a combination of the shortcomings of an airplane and a helicopter, and therefore they are not developed. Aircraft designers in the world are not fools. And the device looks good, especially speed.

[postman]

Quote: Pessimist

Autogyro is a combination of the shortcomings of an airplane and a helicopter,

, aptly, shortly and accurately.

[Joker]

Of course, it’s interesting, BUT, knowing the Americans, it will be worth it, oh, it’s better to buy a plane, in the enemy’s air defense zone this speed will not play a special role. Moreover, there is nothing super breakthrough in it, they stuck screws wherever possible, then a fool will come up with such a thing, you can even cut one on the nose No matter how the Americans groaned, but better than our KA-50 can’t do anything it’s possible, by the way, instead of propellers on the wings, stick jet engines, the speed will be even higher, and upon landing, switch from them to the main propeller, the air defense zone has crossed and slowed down, though there will be a lot of fuel they need to throw an idea, let them master the budget more intensively

[AER_69]

And the absence of a second rotor will limit the speed. Do not think ...

[Igor]

Europeans certainly went too far with engines

[cth; fyn]

garbage like smallpox.

[candy bar140105]

If this is a breakthrough in helicopter engineering, then I am silent .......

[schta]

Why are gyrocrafts closed? - The efficiency of the engines was much lower than now and, accordingly, the lifting force was also less than on airplanes.

How are things now with this? xs. But many engines are not the worst hemorrhoids if they justify the goals of their existence.

[snek]

The machine, of course, is interesting, but rather highly specialized. In my opinion, the Sikorsky X2 helicopter (at the bottom bottom) is much more interesting and faster and the design is simpler.

[postman]

Quote: snek

and the design is simpler.

Is coaxial screw easier?

Are there any fundamental differences between them?

[Railways]

For the military, this is the development !!

[Chicot 1]

Amusing dragonfly! Let's see what will happen to her next. And also let's see how all this direction of hybrid helicopters will behave in the future ... Well, for now, ordinary turntables rule ...

[warrior]

I think the future car is not bad.
X3 consists of 80% of the usual Dauphin nodes of the last series. Just added two propellers and connected them to the engines. From here comes an unusually short time for development.
Engines, by the way, are only two, so they did not go too far. On this site they love talking about the best samples, well, at this moment Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 is the best helicopter in the world in terms of masa-consumption-power ratio. True, the cost is not a bit better.
While X3 with the floor. Dauphin's load is up to 4 tons, unlike the American Sikorsky, who is a double technology demonstrator.
So if that, production can start in short terms.

[Bad_gr]

In my opinion, not a bad idea.
The propeller, which is located in the tail of an ordinary helicopter, compensating for the reactive moment, was replaced by two forward ones.
Surely, when the helicopter is hanging, the thrust at the side screws in relation to the body is directed in different directions (in relation to the main screw - the thrust is directed in one direction, compensate for the reaction time). At speed, to repay the reactive moment, the vertical tail plumage works, and both small screws (side) for traction.
I think that the efficiency of a helicopter at low speeds will be comparable to a simple helicopter (with a screw in the tail), but at a speed of efficiency it should be higher than that of a simple one (but lower than that of helicopters with two main rotors).

[kuzmich]

I ride a hybrid myself, I saw a familiar word in the article, rushed to read. My associative series did not quite converge, I thought right now I will read about electric generators and electric motors, and so on, and so on.