Originally Posted by
SASless
CTR,
Wrong response.....if you are going to "replace" the Blackhawk with a Tilt Rotor....it is absolutely relevant to ask what its "helicopter" performance actually is compared to the Blackhawk.
That is not being a "Tilt Rotor Trasher"..... that is asking for an apples to apples comparison of the Blackhawk and its replacement.
We found out that places like Afghanistan demand performance that was lacking in the V-22 and some helicopters...with the Chinook and CH-53 becoming the airframes of choice for Ops in the higher elevations.
We know from V-22 experience that Tiltrotors do have an Achilles Heel of sort when it comes to the "helicopter" side of business.....due to the very design of the machine.
The V-22 is an amazing machine, especially considering it’s a 1980’s technology aircraft, but it’s unfortunate that it was the first tiltrotor to go into production because in may ways it represents the worst case for a tiltrotor. High disk loading, far higher than XV-15, 609, V-280, etc. means downwash is high, hover power required is high, autorotation isn’t possible, etc. FLRAA will have lower disk loading, addressing many of these weaknesses. The V-22 was also burdened with blade fold and wing stow, adding weight, cost, and complexity. Its primary operator is the Marines and Navy, which have higher DOC for any aircraft they operate as a result of the seaborne environment and requirements. So the tiltrotor concept gets a poor reputation, when those issues are particular to one implementation, not the concept in general.