I'll have a go at it - Xmas an' all.
cheers tet.
3) Do you think the growing UAV market, especially considering the growth in rotary wing UAVs, would have interest in something like this?
1) No, there are no lives to save on a UAV
2) UAV's by their nature usually spy on the enemy, should one fail then killing as many as possible at ground contact would be a good idea.
3) UAV's usually possess cutting edge technology (read secret) therefore explosives on board is an excellent idea, but not to save the ship; Also refer item 2.
2) Would such a system be viable in the commercial sphere (obviously after much red tape certification wise)?
1) It's hard enough to design and build for viability without expensive addons,
2) The testing regime expense would be prohibitive as it would need to be tested so exhaustively that somehow a sane pilot might accept it.
3) The cost of buying explosives, securing it on the machine and presumably routinely replacing it when it becomes soggy and unstable would be prohibitive - so many constraints these days brought about by people of dubious nature trying get their hands on it for nasty reasons.
1) What would be some of the challenges facing such a system from a technical perspective?
1) The only time most helicopters are stable is during auto rotation and at termination simple control manipulation allows a soft touchdown, as do parachutes or so I am told. So, why dispense with one proven system to rely upon another which might or might not function,
2) Many pilots, if they entered such a flying vehicle, are already past masters at destroying machinery. To give them a nice explosive to do it better I think would be preposterous to any insurance company
3) Remember the adage of Santa Claus's check flight. Ol' check pilot whilst brandishing a 12 gauge says that he may fail one engine on take off. Result - engine refuse to start.Many helicopter engines are already hard to start with serious personality problems of their own.