Sikorsky's Super Helicopter. The fastest Heli ever built!

Helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft
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by thestealthfighterguy » 09 Dec 2011, 05:28

It certainly doesn’t look like the typical helicopter you see flying above your city. There’s not one rotor spinning around on top, but two, one spinning clockwise, the other counter-clockwise. And there’s no tail rotor, but a propeller. Together, this is the dynamic advancement that its maker, Sikorsky, says enabled the Sikorsky X2 to recently break the world record for helicopter speed, hitting 250 knots per hour, which is about 280 miles per hour.

“The fact that we have 2 rotors spinning in opposite directions takes away the issues that cause helicopters to only fly to 150 kph, and allow us to go 250,” says Sikorsky President Jeffrey Pino.

Sikorsky put on a world-debut demonstration of it’s X2 prototype, which included a drag race with a standard helicopter, a Bell 407. Needless to say, by the time the Bell reached the finish line 3000 feet down the runway, the X2 was long gone.

The Russians have a similarly designed attack helicopter, the Kamov KA-50, known as the “Black Shark.” It looks similar to the US Army’s Apache, but with 2 rotors stacked above each other. And, as the military is Sikorsky’s primary plan for its new helicopter design, it unveiled its new Raider design, which can seat 6 soldiers, carry gun or missile mounts and serve as a scout helicopter. As of now, there is no Pentagon contract.

Health care experts are also intrigued by the potential of this new twice-as-fast helicopter design, especially in the area of EMS helicopters that you see ferrying critically injured patients to trauma centers for life saving treatment. In the medical community, there is what is known as “the golden hour,” the 60 minutes between injury and treatment. It’s accepted dogma that if you can treat someone in that time, you greatly enhance the chances of the end result being life, not death.

“A fast helicopter matters, whether or not you were shot or you had a car accident or a fall or a burn. Any one of those things, time matters,” says Dr. Nicholas Namias of the University of Miami’s Ryder Trauma Center in downtown Miami.

Sikorsky hopes to have its first military-ready Raiders on the market in about 5 years. As for this technological advancement replacing the single rotor helicopter designs that we all see in our skies, most likely, don’t expect that for a decade or longer.



There's a vid at this link.
http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/10/22/super-helicopter/
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by americaneagle » 10 Dec 2011, 06:33

just want to add this up
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by thestealthfighterguy » 12 Dec 2011, 20:15

Thanks I like it.
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by americaneagle » 13 Dec 2011, 03:20

Welcome and thanks too, I like these super copters. It make me feel copters are advancing in terms of technology


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by madrat » 13 Dec 2011, 04:42

I like the simplicity. I would think that really would help if they can get it into civilian service first.


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by americaneagle » 13 Dec 2011, 05:16

Yeah, this can be a Big help if used properly


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by thestealthfighterguy » 13 Dec 2011, 20:45

americaneagle wrote:Yeah, this can be a Big help if used properly

Health care experts are also intrigued by the potential of this new twice-as-fast helicopter design, especially in the area of EMS helicopters that you see ferrying critically injured patients to trauma centers for life saving treatment. In the medical community, there is what is known as “the golden hour,” the 60 minutes between injury and treatment. It’s accepted dogma that if you can treat someone in that time, you greatly enhance the chances of the end result being life, not death.


I would like to see this heli ferrying injured combat troops ASAP. Nothing to good for our troops and with all the people getting injured in extream sports in remote places now days this could save alot of life.
Plus, you ask a heli pilot if he wants an extra 100 mph in and out of the LZ. I don't think he would say no.
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by destroid » 26 Apr 2012, 06:53

Is there a reason these use props instead of jets for lateral propulsion?


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by southernphantom » 26 Apr 2012, 21:14

destroid wrote:Is there a reason these use props instead of jets for lateral propulsion?


Yes, retreating blade stall occurs with helicopters at high speeds and renders them nearly uncontrollable. Props and a windmilling or contra-rotating rotor system allow far higher safe speeds.


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by count_to_10 » 27 Apr 2012, 02:12

destroid wrote:Is there a reason these use props instead of jets for lateral propulsion?

The maximum velocities involved. Props produce usable thrust more efficiently at sub-sonic velocities than turbojets do (turbofans, like you see on airliners, have the advantage in the transonic range). As even 300 miles per hour is still nowhere near transonic, a prop is the way to go.


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by discofishing » 30 Aug 2012, 06:09

thestealthfighterguy wrote:
americaneagle wrote:Yeah, this can be a Big help if used properly

Health care experts are also intrigued by the potential of this new twice-as-fast helicopter design, especially in the area of EMS helicopters that you see ferrying critically injured patients to trauma centers for life saving treatment. In the medical community, there is what is known as “the golden hour,” the 60 minutes between injury and treatment. It’s accepted dogma that if you can treat someone in that time, you greatly enhance the chances of the end result being life, not death.


I would like to see this heli ferrying injured combat troops ASAP. Nothing to good for our troops and with all the people getting injured in extream sports in remote places now days this could save alot of life.
Plus, you ask a heli pilot if he wants an extra 100 mph in and out of the LZ. I don't think he would say no.
TSFG



Yeah, this or something of equal capability, perhaps an HV-22 Osprey. Hawks can only hit about 165kts in level speed, but that's ideal conditions. HH-60G Pavehawks used by the USAF are a little bit slower. If something can go 250+ kts, then that would definitely save lives and make the missions safer for the aircrew as well.


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by count_to_10 » 31 Aug 2012, 01:05

There was some issue about the V-22 not being able to use a side winch, ruling it out for SAR.
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by madrat » 31 Aug 2012, 01:57

If counter-rotating props is the key, then why not eggbeaters.

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This new twist on a helicopter is probably capable of towing other light aircraft into the air. It's probably not fast enough to tow any high speed aircraft, but imagine something the size of a C-27J. It could significantly decrease its takeoff. I wouldn't want to do it everyday, but in an emergency.


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by discofishing » 04 Sep 2012, 07:32

The KMAX is a good stable platform, but a more useful platform that uses a similar anti-torque principle called the CH-47 is much better suited. This aircraft is not a new twist on a helicopter. It finds it lineage in the HH-43 Huskie which entered service in the 50s.


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by madrat » 04 Sep 2012, 18:39

I was looking at some of the problems with the idea and saw retreating blade pitch is a problem. If there was a way to curve the effective pitch of your blades when retreating and beginning the return trip around - without flapping - you might be able to boost your speeds significantly. In that case you would need to significantly slow rotor tip speed down and probably compensate with an increase in the number of blades. Increasing the airfoil of each blade isn't going to be helpful for flexibility. Nor is much camber in each blade. My first instinct was the bi-plane or tri-plane stacked rotors. The eggbeater, only with the rotors separated out much further, might do it. Minimal camber. Counter rotating each rotor. Amazing complexity. Exotic materials....


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