Sikorsky X2 Files With Engaged Propeller
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Kerry Lynch
Sikorsky's X2 Technology demonstrator recently completed two test flights with a fully engaged the propeller for the first time. The helicopter reached speeds of 52 knots in one test and 42 knots with the propeller providing forward thrust in the second flight. The demonstrator is designed to fly at 250 knots, about twice the speed of current helicopters.
The demonstrator has accumulated more than three hours of flight time at the Sikorsky facility in Horseheads, N.Y. The aircraft will be relocated to Sikorsky's Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. this month for continued flight-testing that will lead up to the 250-knot design goal.
The X2 Technology demonstrator incorporates a range of new technologies, as well as a counter-rotating coaxial rotor, to achieve record speeds yet retain low-speed handling, efficient hovering and autorotation safety. In addition to the rotor, the demonstrator is equipped with fly-by-wire controls, hub drag reduction, active vibration controls and an integrated auxiliary propulsion system. Sikorsky said it is "maturing the technology" for use in a range of missions such as rapid air medical response, reconnaissance and special operations.
"The program is progressing extremely well both technologically and from a future applicability standpoint," said Mark Miller, vice president of research and engineering at Sikorsky. "Certainly we've got much more to do, but interest continues to grow among both the military and commercial sectors in how this technology might improve current operations and enable new missions that today are simply not possible with the current helicopter flight limitations."
File photo credit: Sikorsky
