Go Back  PPRuNe Forums > Aircrew Forums > Rotorheads
Reload this Page >

Project Zero - AgustaWestland Revolutionary demonstrator revealed :)

Rotorheads A haven for helicopter professionals to discuss the things that affect them

Project Zero - AgustaWestland Revolutionary demonstrator revealed :)

Old 5th Mar 2013, 12:31
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: The Alps
Posts: 3,127
Received 93 Likes on 49 Posts
Project Zero - AgustaWestland Revolutionary demonstrator revealed :)

AgustaWestland Unveils Revolutionary ''Project Zero'' Tilt Rotor Techn

chopper2004 is offline  
Old 21st Mar 2013, 10:38
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: netherlands
Age: 56
Posts: 769
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It has been flying since two yrs and a light diesel engine is considered to feed the batteries.

I find it remarkable how AugustaWestland and everyone involved managed to keep this under cover for so long. Just like Eurocopter with their X2. Very uneuropean. I guess the main field of application will be militairy?



The formal unveiling at the AgustaWestland press conference on the eve of Heli-Expo comes several weeks after the concept was revealed in a patent application published on 31 January.

The patent filing shows a V-tailed vehicle identified as the "Convertiplane", with a top speed in forward flight of 270kt (500km/h) and a normal cruising altitude of 24,600ft (7,500m). The patent was assigned to James Wang, the vice-president of research and development.

Such an aircraft would boast twice the cruising speed, range, ceiling and endurance compared with a conventional helicopter, AgustaWestland claimed in the patent application.
Heli Expo 2013

----

more info today!

The original photo above struck me as caught redhanded anyway, because of the distance, guys running around it, hardly a pose

Meanwhile the PR department put together a release.





“Project Zero” All-Electric Tilt Rotor Technology Demonstrator International Collaboration | AgustaWestland

Last edited by keesje; 21st Mar 2013 at 11:40.
keesje is offline  
Old 21st Mar 2013, 14:02
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Earth
Posts: 694
Received 14 Likes on 9 Posts
So....elephant in the room...

Where is the flight performance data and/or footage?

They sure seem to be patting themselves on the back for designing and building it (in 6 months or 12 months, depending on which press release you read), why not tell the world just how great actually performs?

If it first flew in mid-2011 tethered, what's it been up to the past 2 years?

*edit*

Also noticed this interesting little tidbit

The aerodynamic properties of the rotor blades were designed by AgustaWestland and Rotor Systems Research LLC of USA.
Rotor System Research LLC....a consultancy (with one of the most ridiculously laughable websites I have seen in ages) consisting of none other than John Leishman, who has for years espoused a staunch anti-tiltrotor mantra (I recall a particularly contentious AHS incident a few years back). Oh the irony!

Last edited by SansAnhedral; 21st Mar 2013 at 14:22.
SansAnhedral is offline  
Old 21st Mar 2013, 14:46
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: On the edge
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Nice looking aircraft.
Vertical751 is offline  
Old 21st Mar 2013, 14:53
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Texas
Age: 64
Posts: 7,131
Received 319 Likes on 204 Posts
Looks pretty.

What's it do? (i.e., what mission/purpose is it intended to perform?)

I see it as a potentially handy vehicle for drug smuggling to places other than airfields, for one. Avoid those nosey customs inspectors, eh?

Last edited by Lonewolf_50; 21st Mar 2013 at 14:54.
Lonewolf_50 is offline  
Old 21st Mar 2013, 15:01
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: UK
Age: 58
Posts: 3,462
Received 135 Likes on 73 Posts
What's it do? (i.e., what mission/purpose is it intended to perform?)
Replaces the F35B when it gets cancelled in next year's budget.



The demonstrators rotors are driven by advanced electric motors powered by rechargeable batteries; future hybrid solutions have also been investigated using a diesel engine to drive a generator. All of the aircraft control systems, flight control and landing gear actuators are electrically powered, removing the need for any hydraulic system.
I hope they're not Li-Ion.

Last edited by TURIN; 21st Mar 2013 at 15:04.
TURIN is online now  
Old 21st Mar 2013, 15:02
  #7 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Texas
Age: 64
Posts: 7,131
Received 319 Likes on 204 Posts
Thinking out of the box ... why not?
(True confession: you made me laugh).

Last edited by Lonewolf_50; 21st Mar 2013 at 15:03.
Lonewolf_50 is offline  
Old 21st Mar 2013, 15:38
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: On the big blue planet
Posts: 1,027
Received 24 Likes on 12 Posts
What's it do? (i.e., what mission/purpose is it intended to perform?)
Acting in Avatar II

But nevertheless an interestig study! ( And prettier than the X3 )

skadi
skadi is offline  
Old 21st Mar 2013, 16:56
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: netherlands
Age: 56
Posts: 769
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I hope they're not Li-Ion
crossed my mind, most probably, the required energy storage density and dynamic performance no doubt gets you into tricky technology..

What's it do?
(great spelling )

Carrying a significant load seems challlenging, I guess it mainly is a technology demonstrator.

If it is agile & can do 500 km/ hr & land on very small places, maybe defense, e.g escorting bigger helicopters. No doubt too expensive for wide commercial use.

I can imagine it being very quiet hovering (electric, ducted fans) and very noisy in forward flight (wing wake hitting the fans), like those fancy Piaggio's..

keesje is offline  
Old 24th Mar 2013, 11:15
  #10 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: netherlands
Age: 56
Posts: 769
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Interestingly, if this machine indeed can fly 500 km/hr, the world helicopter speed record held by the X2 would be broken by an electrical powered machine.. remarkable.. or would it be in a different class?

keesje is offline  
Old 24th Mar 2013, 20:18
  #11 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 915
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Dear oh dear....Sikorsky spin wins again. The X2 is neither the worlds fastest helicopter ( see Bell compound Huey) nor does it hold the official speed record (see Westland Lynx G-LYNX).
heli1 is offline  
Old 25th Mar 2013, 13:40
  #12 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Earth
Posts: 694
Received 14 Likes on 9 Posts
The X2 is neither the worlds fastest helicopter ( see Bell compound Huey) nor does it hold the official speed record (see Westland Lynx G-LYNX).
Indeed....the FAI sure seems to be taking their sweet time certifying the flight (2 years ago now?)....if in fact it qualified.
SansAnhedral is offline  
Old 25th Mar 2013, 14:22
  #13 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Earth
Posts: 694
Received 14 Likes on 9 Posts
Interestingly, if this machine indeed can fly 500 km/hr, the world helicopter speed record held by the X2 would be broken by an electrical powered machine.. remarkable.. or would it be in a different class?
If the project zero machine was considered the same category as the X2, then the X2 "record" would already have been demolished by the existing tiltrotor V22 and AW609.
SansAnhedral is offline  
Old 26th Mar 2013, 03:34
  #14 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 601
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
....Carrying a significant load seems challlenging, I guess it mainly is a technology demonstrator.....
keesje- That's the issue in a nutshell. This is a TD designed solely to appeal to the DARPA X-Plane program managers.
riff_raff is offline  
Old 26th Mar 2013, 07:53
  #15 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 1998
Location: Mesopotamos
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I bet it would go even faster if they removed the enormous parasitic drag caused by those duct rings. Who knows, the batteries may last longer too.
cattletruck is offline  
Old 26th Mar 2013, 09:26
  #16 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Looks like they have already removed them in the first picture .
Hover Bovver is offline  
Old 5th Apr 2013, 23:54
  #17 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Posts: 1,635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Devil PPRuNe deserves the patents

AgustaWestland is applying for 3 US Patents on this craft. Application Nbrs; 20130026303, 20130026304, 20130026305.
Claims in these applications have been previously, and publicly, discussed on this Rotorhead forum.

___________________________

This is a 'compressed' version of one claim.
"rotor .. being operable as .. an electrical power generator for re-charging said storage device ... by .. the action of a wind current.
Said .. rotor .. in a direction facing the wind current, when .. on ground and said storage device .. needs to be re-charged."

Some knowledgeable people on PPRuNe had a very, very serious discussion about this recharging concept in this 2006 thread.


Dave

Last edited by Dave_Jackson; 6th Apr 2013 at 19:29. Reason: Yes
Dave_Jackson is offline  
Old 20th Jun 2013, 10:23
  #18 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 51
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Bit more from BBC news on this nothing new really but a bit of a closer look

Link

Redland is offline  
Old 20th Jun 2013, 16:20
  #19 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Earth
Posts: 694
Received 14 Likes on 9 Posts
All this ballyhooed song and dance, and not a shred of performance data or flight footage.

Anyone else find that a tad suspect?
SansAnhedral is offline  
Old 26th Jun 2013, 17:20
  #20 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Cambridgeshire, UK
Posts: 1,334
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
AHS vertiflite article

https://vtol.org/vertiflite/project-zero/index.html#/2/

Hmmm, interesting - I especially like the bit about it using a diesel engine genset to power the fan motors! Does anyone know whether ORAL based the powertrain on the Wilsch WAM140 or the Austro AE300?

Looks to me like they are using the fan to pull air past the wings, so expect reasonable performance at low speeds with at least hover capability (disk loading will still be high). Those fans will be able to reduce rpm in cruise to make for very efficient pusher propellors without too many limitations imposed by tip speed. I wonder what cruise/dash speed they are aiming for?

Of course the real question is how well does it cope with engine failure (electric motors and batteries can go wrong too - see 787 experience). Those small lift fans will make for very high autorotation descent rates, and there is still going to be that velocity region where it is neither a helicopter nor an aeroplane.

Actually, the thing that does excit me is that the engineers have successfully flown an aircraft that has no mechanical transmission or swash plate. This technology is likely to find it's way into all sorts of other VTOL projects if it proves itself to be at least as reliable as other fly-by-wire technologies.

Mart

Last edited by Graviman; 26th Jun 2013 at 17:37.
Graviman is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.