How does such an off-the-wall Fishhawk get a foothold in the helicopter world?

How does the off-the-wall Fishhawk fit into the helicopter world?

The U.S. government has approved the sale of eight MV-22 Block C Fishhawk tilt-rotor aircraft to Indonesia. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the deal, if made, would amount to $2 billion and would be made under the U.S. government's Foreign Military Sales program.

The MV-22 Fishhawk tilt-rotor aircraft is a derivative of the V-22, a model equipped by the U.S. Marine Corps that can take off and land on large ships and islands.

The V-22 series of tilt-rotor aircraft integrates the take-off and landing performance of helicopters with the high-speed performance of fixed-wing aircraft, and the design concept is the future development of combat support and assault transport vehicles for the military.

The V-22 series tilt-rotor aircraft integrates helicopter landing and take-off performance with fixed-wing aircraft high-speed performance.

Filling the void of the "Fishhawk"

Traditional helicopters can take off and land in complex terrain, circling, but the flight speed is slow, small endurance; fixed-wing transport aircraft, although high-speed, long-distance advantage, but have to rely on the runway to take off and land. In order to meet the needs of the U.S. Bell and Boeing to use tilt-rotor technology will be the helicopter landing performance and fixed-wing aircraft speed, range advantage of a combination of joint R & D and manufacturing V-22 "Fishhawk" tilt-rotor aircraft.

When the engine is in vertical position, V-22 can take off and land vertically like a helicopter, hovering; after takeoff, turn the engine angle, V-22 can also be like a propeller aircraft flying at high speeds, to complete the personnel and materials of the long-range rapid delivery. 17.48 meters long, 6.73 meters high, together with the rotor width of up to 25.78 meters. Using two Rolls-Royce AE1107C engines, the rotor diameter is 11.6 meters, the maximum takeoff weight for vertical takeoff is 23.86 tons, and the maximum cruise speed is 500 kilometers per hour.

The V-22 has a four-person crew, including a pilot, co-pilot and two flight engineers, and a glass cockpit that is highly integrated and less difficult for pilots to operate.

The V-22 fills a gap in the military field, flying twice as fast as conventional helicopters and carrying 24 soldiers. The rotor blades can be folded to reduce the space it occupies, and it is deployed on amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers. The helicopter can support fleet logistics, combat search and rescue and special operations, and can also carry commandos for landing operations.

The V-22 Fishhawk also has many variants that can be converted into aerial refueling tankers and special operations aircraft. The MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft that Indonesia is interested in purchasing is a V-22 derivative for Marine Corps use, using corrosion-resistant materials and paint, and is used to support troops in amphibious operations. Considering that Indonesia has a large number of separate islands, the MV-22 could significantly enhance the country's amphibious operations.

Complex variable rotor and flight control system

The rotor system and flight control system are the biggest technical difficulties of the tilt-rotor aircraft. two sets of rotor systems of the V-22 are connected through the connecting shaft in the wing, and the coupling design makes it possible for the other engine to drive the two engines through the power transmission after the failure of a single engine, which ensures the safety of the flight. the rotor of the V-22 is equipped with The V-22's rotor has three blades, and the rotor diameter is smaller than that of a helicopter rotor, but the stiffness is stronger than that of a helicopter rotor, balancing the power requirements of two different attitudes, vertical takeoff and landing and level flight, as much as possible.

In vertical takeoff and landing or hovering, the V-22 needs to control two sets of rotor systems to complete the helicopter's unique maneuvering actions, and when it switches to a forward-flying attitude, the two engines rotate horizontally around the wing axis, and the upward force generated by the rotors is gradually converted into a forward pulling force.

Until the helicopter completely enters the state where the engine generates thrust and the wing generates lift. The whole process needs to be completed in a relatively short period of time, and the change of the two flight attitudes is accompanied by the flight control of the rotor system and the wing system, and the rotor and the flaps and the tail collaborate to maintain the flight attitude.

This shows that the V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft is equivalent to the combination of helicopters and fixed-wing propeller aircraft two different sets of transmission and flight control system, both must also be in the separate working state and the cooperative work of the state of switching between the smooth. Therefore, the tilt-rotor aircraft on the hardware and software level have very high requirements, but also the aviation industry's comprehensive strength of the embodiment.

How will the future of rotorcraft development

V-22 "Fishhawk" is a tilt-rotor military applications, it is not difficult to imagine, both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft vehicles must be the future of military aviation. In line with this trend either give the fixed-wing aircraft vertical take-off and landing capabilities, or give the helicopter long-range, high-speed performance.

The Soviet Union and the United Kingdom developed vertical takeoff and landing fighters in the last century, using rotatable engine nozzles and additional lift engines to achieve vertical takeoff and landing, but this approach is currently only applied to fighters, and cannot be applied to large aircraft such as transport planes in the short term. In contrast, tilt-rotor technology is still a realistic means of realizing vertical takeoff and landing of fixed-wing aircraft.

In addition, some countries will *** axis dual rotor and thrust propeller technology combined application to helicopters. *** axis dual rotor to provide lift, the two reverse rotation of the rotor just offset torque, the tail control steering tail rotor is to provide forward thrust thrust paddle replacement, so as to realize vertical takeoff and landing and high-speed flight. *** axis dual-rotor high-speed helicopter on the rigid *** axis technology and flight control system also has high requirements, only a few countries have mastered.

Military Dictionary

***shaft dual-rotor helicopter, two rotor blades rotating in opposite directions *** with a shaft helicopter, two rotor blades cancel each other's torque, in order to eliminate the tail rotor to control the direction of flight. The *** axis dual rotor helicopter flying speed, maneuverability, more do not have to worry about tail rotor failure caused by flight accidents.