Bell Boeing Quad TiltRotor
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The Bell Boeing Quad TiltRotor is a four-rotor growth variant concept of the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor being developed jointly by Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. The concept is a contender in the U.S. Army's Joint Heavy Lift program. It would have a cargo capacity roughly equivalent to the C-130 Hercules, cruise at 250 knots, and land at unimproved sites vertically like a helicopter.[1]
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[edit] Design program
Bell and Boeing have received a cost-sharing contract worth US$3.45 million from the U.S. Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate for an 18-month conceptual design and analysis study lasting through March, 2007, in conjunction with the U.S. Army's Joint Heavy Lift program.[2][3] The contract was awarded to Bell Helicopter, which is teaming with Boeing's Phantom Works. The Quad TiltRotor (QTR) study is one of five designs; another of the five is also a Boeing program, an advanced version of the CH-47 Chinook.[1]
During the initial baseline design study, Bell's engineers are responsible for wing, engine and rotor design, whereas the Boeing team is handling the fuselage and internal systems designs.[4]
Besides the research performed jointly under the terms of the contract, Bell has also funded additional research and wind tunnel testing in cooperation with NASA and the Army.[5]
Once the initial concept study reports are submitted, follow-on development will include testing of full-scale components, as well as a possible sub-scale vehicle test program.[1] If the program moves forward as forecast, first flight of a full-scale prototype aircraft is anticipated for 2012.[4]
[edit] Aircraft development
The conceptual design is for a large tandem wing aircraft with V-22 type engines and rotors at each of the four wing tips. The C-130-size fuselage would have a cargo bay of 747 inches, with 50-foot rotors and a loading ramp in the back, and would be capable of carrying 110 paratroopers or 150 standard-seating passengers. In cargo configuration, it would accommodate eight 463L pallets.[4]
A one-fifth scale wind tunnel model has undergone testing in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (a unique transonic wind tunnel) at NASA's Langley Research Center during the summer of 2006. The "semi-span" model (representing the right half of the aircraft) measured 213 inches in length, and had powered 91-inch rotors as well as operational nacelles and "dynamically representative" wings.[5]
The primary test objective was to study the aeroelastic effects on the aft wing of the forward wing's rotors, and established a baseline aircraft configuration.[1] Alan Ewing, QTR program manager for Bell, reported that "Testing showed those loads from that vortex on the rear rotor [are the] same as the loads we see on the front [rotors]," and "Aeroelastic stability of the wing looks exactly the same as the conventional tiltrotor". These tests used a model with a three-bladed rotor, future tests will explore the effects of using a four-bladed system.[4]
In addition to the baseline configuration, the Bell-Boeing team is including eight possible variants, or "excursion designs", including a sea-based variant. The design team is planning on payloads ranging from 16 to 26 tons and a range of 420 to 1000 nm. The baseline version includes a fully-retractable refueling probe, an interconnecting drive system for power redundancy.[4]
One of the design excursions explored by the team, dubbed the "Big Boy", is a growth variant which would be equipped with 55-foot rotors and stretch the cargo bay to 815 inches, making it able to carry one additional 463L pallet, and as well be able to accommodate a Stryker armored combat vehicle.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Diversity in Design: Boeing offers 2 of 5 development options in rotorcraft program", Boeing Frontiers, January 2007
- ^ "Boeing receives two study contracts from U.S. Army for Joint Heavy Lift", Boeing press release, 2005-09-23
- ^ Bell-Boeing's QTR selected for Heavy Lift study
- ^ a b c d e f Fein, Geoff , "Bell-Boeing Quadtiltrotor completes first wind tunnel testing", Defense Daily, 2006-10-13
- ^ a b "Wind Tunnel testing completed on Bell Boeing quad tiltrotor", Rotorbreeze, October 2006
[edit] External links
- Early Popular Mechanics article which calls the QTR a "V-44"
- Quad Tiltrotor QTR page on GlobalSecurity.org
- "CH-53X HLR & JHL: Future Heli Programs on Collision Course?", Defense Industry Daily, 2005-09-27
[edit] Related content
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See also
Fighter aircraft: YFM-1 · P-39 · P-59 · P-63 · XP-77 · XP-83
Commercial Helicopters: 47 · 204 · 205 · 206 · 210 · 212 · 214 · 222 · 230 · 407 · 412 · 417 · 427 · 429 · 430
Military Helicopters: H-13 · UH-1 · UH-1N · UH-1Y · 207 · 209 · AH-1 · 309 · YAH-63 · OH-58 · ARH-70
Tiltrotors: V-22 · BA609 · TR918 · QTR
Experimental aircraft: X-1 · X-2 · X-5 · X-20 X-22 · XV-3 · XV-15 · 533
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