Originally Posted by PDR1
It's not a new idea; it's been previously referred to as a "compound helicopter" and the concept was extensively explored by Lockheed with the XH51A-compound
Originally Posted by lowfat
I cant see how this is "new" concept and patent worthy as its just a rehashed British design TheFairy Rotodyne
Per the abstract on the first page of the
patent linked to from OldblokeTH53's article, the difference here is that the aircraft is using the same engines to mechanically drive both the rotor and the propulsors, in a similar vein to the Piasecki 16H/VTDP, Cheyenne and X2/S-97/SB>1. The XH-51A (and Bell 533, NH-3A, S-72, XH-59A & YUH-2, etc.) used auxilliary engines which imposed a weight/fuel burn penalty, while the Rotordyne (and SO.1310, XV-1 & XV-9, etc.) used tip jets, with the associated acoustic issues.
Still surprised, though, that the new patent shows unshrouded props mounted at head height. It's already hard enough trying to keep VIP pax safe on a clear day at
Battersea, let alone keeping roughnecks safe on a rig in a squall while five of MT-Propeller's best are trying to re-enact a scene from Raiders. (Unless the plan is to de-clutch the props on deck?)
Meanwhile,
Flight reports that Airbus Helicopters will reveal its X³ successor at next week’s ILA Berlin air show, in terms of a concept developed under the EU-funded
Clean Sky 2 effort.
I/C