An unexpected breakthrough. The Russian tiltrotor exploded the drone market. Tiltrotors and hybrid drones are no longer exotic - proRobots — LiveJournal Unmanned tiltrotor
Everyone knows this. And now we are presenting a tiltrotor with a hybrid drive. In earlier publications, we wrote about a small-class unmanned tiltrotor, which did not need to provide precise stabilization in hovering and transient modes. A quick start with a simultaneous transition to horizontal flight is not
created special problems with stabilization. Now the device has grown. There will be no quick start. Stabilization issues arise very acutely.
Where did it all start? From a quadcopter model purchased at a toy store:
And everything would be fine, but it doesn’t fly for long (batteries) and has no carrying capacity (engine power). But the stabilization system is ideal. The first decision was to “add some spice” to the device. We added 2 propellers driven by an internal combustion engine through a single shaft. We have never seen such a “jet” takeoff. After a few seconds, the device turned into a dot in the sky. The fit was perfect. Having realized that the scheme works, we decided to develop it. We received a patent. Anyway, the story in pictures:
Attention! All images are schematic and have nothing to do with the actual appearance of the tiltrotor. We demonstrate the principle.
Then with the wings and fuselage:
Yes, part of the wing is rotatable to increase the efficiency of the main propellers.
Then, either for aesthetic reasons (too many fans), or the OSPREY tiltrotor design did not give us rest, the following was born:
Attention! All images are schematic and have nothing to do with the actual appearance of the TRH-14 tiltrotor. We demonstrate the principle.
Yes, yes, yes... The main propellers (1) driven by the internal combustion engine (3) and the stabilizing propellers (4) driven by electric motors (2) are located coaxially. The task of the main propellers is ensuring uniform (through the use of a common shaft (5)) lifting force. The task of stabilizing propellers is maintaining the tiltrotor in a horizontal position, compensation for the negative influence of external factors (atmospheric fluctuations, for example) on the operation of the main propellers. The electric motors are powered by an electric current generator and, as a backup, by batteries. Having gone wild with our fantasies, we added the ability to change the thrust vector of the stabilizing propellers (the figure shows the alpha angle) to ensure greater maneuverability in hovering mode.
The result was a fairly solid design (Patent 142287):
Variants of tiltrotor are possible for various tasks. Moreover, we worked out the nuances of the design so that the choice of option was carried out on the assembly line, and not designed from scratch:
So, the tiltrotor drone has a simple stabilization system, high payload capacity and a long range. What else is needed for a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle? Payload - 50-70 kilograms. Not enough? But for people in trouble, 50-70 kilograms of food and means of survival before the arrival of basic help is not enough? Is 50-70 kg of reconnaissance equipment not enough? What about 50-70 kg of air-to-ground missiles? And further… Even a child can land this device on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
Now another patent application has been filed. We are taking him to an exhibition in Switzerland. We would like to say a big hello to aircraft modelers from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
That's all for now. Thank you for your attention.
So, the very first display of the development at the INVENTIONS GENEVA exhibition brought us a gold medal:
The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, said that the country is developing convertiplanes and heavy drones in the interests of the military.
According to the general, in the future, drones will be able to be integrated into a unified control system, which will significantly reduce the cost of training operators of these aircraft.
“The unmanned topic is developing. Be that as it may, it is more expensive to train a pilot than to install a good autopilot on a plane. If now an operator can control one or two drones, then over time, with the development of the ground component, he will be able to control five or even ten devices, so it will be even cheaper,” Bondarev said.
In addition, he noted that unmanned aircraft in the future will be able to solve strategic strike missions due to their stealth and greater combat stability compared to manned aircraft.
Convertiplanes are aircraft that can perform vertical landing and takeoff, like helicopters, without a runway, and horizontal flight, like conventional airplanes. Today, the most common type of tiltrotor is the American Bell V-22 Osprey.
In horizontal flight it can reach speeds of up to 463 km/h, and in vertical flight - up to 185 km/h. The Osprey is powered by two Rolls-Royce T406 engines. This is the only tiltrotor used for military purposes.
Candidate of Technical Sciences and independent expert in the aerospace and defense industry Vadim Lukashevich, in a conversation with RT, said that the creation of a tiltrotor is a useful initiative due to the high combat performance of such an aircraft. However, the expert recalled that the creation of the Bell V-22 Osprey in the USA was fraught with great difficulties.
“Today, tiltrotors are in service only with the American army, being a symbiosis of an airplane and a helicopter. In normal flight, it is a propeller-driven aircraft that can perform vertical takeoff and landing. In terms of its combat capabilities, this device is somewhere in the middle between a traditional airplane and a helicopter.
This is a very good car. In America, it took a very long time to create and was tested very hard. There were serious disasters in which many people died. This is a serious engineering problem, and if we solve it, it will be very good,” the expert explained.
The creation of heavy drones for the needs of the Russian Aerospace Forces, according to Lukashevich, is also positive news.
“Heavy drones have a large mass, fuel capacity, flight range and load, be it combat or reconnaissance systems. These are more flexible devices with wide capabilities. From the point of view of increasing the defense capability of our aerospace forces, this is also positive information,” the expert noted.
Lukashevich emphasized that only the military themselves can now know about the timing of joining the troops, and there is no information on this topic in the expert community yet.
“There is nothing complicated in creating a heavy drone for our aviation, but creating a tiltrotor is a rather serious and fundamentally new task. The Americans had a fairly large program worth about $70 billion, which was on the verge of closure due to fears that such a device was conceptually impossible. In this regard, it’s easier for us: now we know that this problem can be solved, and time will tell the rest,” the expert concluded.
The Russian Helicopters holding company previously announced that it would present to visitors and other participants of the MAKS-2017 air show a prototype of the experimental unmanned tiltrotor VRT30.
“In this promising tiltrotor it is planned to use the latest superconductivity technology developed by the SuperOx company, which will reduce the weight of the power plant, power generating system units and power supply systems,” emphasized the head of the holding, Andrey Boginsky.
It is noted that from the end of 2018 the device is planned to be sent into mass production.
At the MAKS air show in Zhukovsky Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces (VKS) Colonel General Viktor Bondarev reported that in Russia work is in full swing to create a wide variety of rotary-wing aircraft in the interests of the Ministry of Defense. These include traditional transport, attack, specialized, as well as unmanned helicopters operating in a “flock”. Which, however, was not much news. A real sensation in other words of Bondarev: for the first time it was announced that our country intends to soon acquire fundamentally new machines - tiltrotors.
Moreover, two companies are engaged in convertiplanes at once. In Zhukovsky, at MAKS, an experimental tiltrotor aircraft of the Russian Helicopters holding was presented, which is subsequently expected to be brought to the specifications of a specific combat vehicle with a take-off weight of up to two tons. Well, the Kronstadt group of companies intends to create a family of heavy unmanned tiltrotors.
The task is very difficult, since a tiltrotor is an extremely capricious machine to operate, requiring not only significant financial costs, but also lengthy development to create. It is probably for this reason that only one series of serial tiltrotors are currently flying in the world - the Bell V-22 Osprey. The vehicles were adopted by the US Marine Corps and Navy in 2005. The Americans have been creating them for more than three decades. During the tests, 30 people died.
At the same time, each such “bird” costs overseas, like a modern fighter - 115 million dollars. And this despite the fact that the V-22 is produced in transport, search and rescue and anti-submarine modifications. That is, their tiltrotors are “not burdened” with expensive fire control equipment; they can only defend themselves by shooting off heat traps; they do not have an electronic warfare system.
The MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor is presented at the Air Tattoo exhibition (Photo: Marina Lystseva/TASS)
So what kind of car is this? A tiltrotor combines the qualities of a helicopter (during takeoff and landing) and an airplane with tractor propellers (during horizontal flight). Its undoubted advantage is the ability to operate without runways and at the same time surpass helicopters in flight range and payload.
Until recently, it was believed that a tiltrotor had serious speed advantages over a helicopter. However, now helicopter manufacturers are already reaching the 500 km/h bar, which is not much inferior to the “planes with propellers” that are replacing them.
Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which have both “helicopter” takeoff and “airplane” horizontal flight, are extremely difficult to develop. Because when transitioning from vertical climb to horizontal flight, the aircraft becomes unstable. Which is fraught with accidents. But in a tiltrotor, such instability is much higher. Because a VTOL aircraft has different engines that provide lift and flight. In a tiltrotor, the same engines first pull the car upward and then push it forward. The transition to horizontal flight is carried out as a result of rotating the propeller axis by 90 degrees.
It should be noted that the idea of creating tiltrotors has been around the world for a long time. Beginning in the 1930s, designers in Russia, Europe and America seized upon the idea of creating a “helicopter-plane” with great enthusiasm. But for a long time the matter did not progress beyond the construction of unworkable models. At the same time, designers invented a wide variety of schemes for converting an aircraft from vertical to horizontal flight. The most realistic of them were two - a vertical scheme and a horizontal one.
The first is a conventional aircraft mounted on the tail. The propeller at the top of the plane creates lift during takeoff. Having risen to a sufficient altitude, the aircraft is transferred to a horizontal position and performs normal flight in “airplane” mode. This scheme has its advantages. For example, the wings of a tiltrotor do not interfere with the air flow during takeoff.
But the disadvantages of such machines are much more significant. The main one is that in two modes the pilot needs to occupy two different positions inside the cockpit, turning the seat 90 degrees. Accordingly, the controls should shift by the same angle. In addition, during takeoff the pilot has little visibility, unless, of course, he is inside a glass ball.
In 1954, Convair began testing a tiltrotor of this type, commissioned by the US Navy, called the XYF-1 Pogo. Its flying qualities were excellent. Turboprop engine with a power of 5850 hp. With. allowed to reach a maximum speed of 980 km/h, and the ascent speed was 3200 m/min. But two years later the project was closed due to the fact that the customers came to the conclusion that an ordinary pilot was not able to fly this machine. Since experienced testers unanimously stated that during takeoff and landing, the tiltrotor turns into a “damn stupa”, making a sequence of crazy and unpredictable leaps.
The horizontal scheme turned out to be workable, although also very difficult to implement. It is a machine whose screws turn 90 degrees. When taking off, the tiltrotor operates like a regular helicopter, and after gaining the required altitude, the pilot turns the propellers, which become pulling rather than lifting.
In this case, there are several options for transferring the propellers to horizontal flight mode. The nacelles, in which the engines with propellers are installed, rotate. Or completely wings. Or the tips of the wings on which the engines with propellers are located.
Today it’s a shame to realize that the world’s first tiltrotor launched into mass production could have been not an American, but a Soviet machine. KB Mil began creating the Mi-30 in 1972. According to the project, the carrying capacity of this flying “miracle-yudo” was up to 5 tons. The Mi-30 was supposed to transport up to 32 paratroopers over a distance of 800 km, the maximum speed was 600 km/h. The production of prototypes and their testing was planned for the period from 1986 to 1995. However, during “perestroika” the country first ran out of money. And soon the country itself “ended.”
The American V-22 is made according to the same design as the Mi-30. Two turboprop engines are located at the ends of the wing. And they can rotate 98 degrees. The result was a very solid machine with a load capacity of up to 9 tons.
Most of the convertiplanes purchased by the Pentagon are used on universal landing ships, as well as on ships of other types. In total, more than 250 vehicles of three modifications have already been built in the United States.
Here are the main flight and tactical characteristics of the Bell V-22 Osprey:
— length 19 m;
— height 6.7 m;
— wing area 36 sq. m;
— three-blade propeller diameter 11.6 m;
— maximum take-off weight 25800 kg;
— power plant — 2 TVD with a power of 2×4600 kW;
— maximum speed 565 km/h;
— rate of climb 16 m/s;
— practical ceiling 7900 m;
— combat radius 670 km;
— practical range 2600 km;
— crew of 3 people;
— payload — 24 paratroopers or up to 9 tons of cargo in the cabin.
American tiltrotor Bell-Boeing CV-22B (Photo: Zuma Press/TASS)
Our country realized quite late that it was far behind the United States in this area. The Russian Helicopters holding company took up the problem only in 2015. Moreover, on a proactive basis. At the same time, at first the calculation was for customers from the “rich” oil and gas sector, who were offered an effective machine for monitoring, reconnaissance and other actions in remote regions (most often called the Far North), where there are no airfields.
And now, right at MAKS, the military, it turns out, also paid attention to this project. It seems that their motives are approximately the same as with the recent announcement of the start of development at the Yakovlev Design Bureau of an aircraft with vertical take-off and landing, which the Russian Ministry of Defense somehow suddenly needed. It turns out that both the VTOL aircraft and the tiltrotor are intended, first of all, for operation in the Russian Navy on promising ships that will play the role of Russian light aircraft carriers.
It is interesting that the tiltrotor in the BP holding is not being developed by the Mil Design Bureau or the Kamov Design Bureau, which have been specializing in a related field for many decades - helicopters. The design bureau VR Technologies, which is part of the holding and was founded relatively recently - in 2014, is concerned about Russian convertoplanes. And, therefore, not having much experience in this area.
The co-executor of the development is the Aerob company, a resident of the space cluster of the Skolkovo Innovation Park.
The pace of work is both impressive and baffling. Last year, a few months after the start of development, an unmanned prototype made its first flight, on which technologies are being tested and the features of the controlled flight of a tiltrotor are being studied. There are three stages ahead. First, a 300-kilogram unmanned prototype must be built. Then there will be a 2-ton drone that will be ready for production and operation. In the end, it will come to a manned vehicle, which, according to the developers, will not be inferior to the “American” jointly developed by Bell and Boeing.
As they say, wait and see. But there are fears that not only we, but also our children will not see the implementation of these plans through the efforts of two newborn companies.
Next, about the Russian tiltrotor drone RHV-35 presented by the Russian Helicopters concern. Its weight is 35 kg, it can rise to a height of up to two kilometers and carry a payload of up to 6 kg. The drone's flight range in automatic mode is about 450 km. The drone is driven by a hybrid power plant, allowing it to accelerate to 140 km/h.
Now the MAI is working on reducing the weight of the drone and increasing its carrying capacity, but most importantly, the design of the device has already been approved and tested in the laboratory. “Pterodactyl” will be able to stay in the air much longer than other drones and carry more equipment due to the fact that it will not carry batteries on board.
Another advantage of the tethered control system is complete security against information interception.
Another feature of the “Pterodactyl” is that it is made according to the design of a tiltrotor - an aircraft whose propellers can turn along with the wings. This scheme allows you to combine the advantages of an airplane and a helicopter in one machine. Due to this, the drone can develop a high enough speed in the air to move with the tank at full speed, while it is able to rise into the air from a small area, including directly from the tank’s hull.
The idea of a reconnaissance unmanned vehicle controlled via a flexible cable is not new - such a solution was first implemented in the late 1960s on the West German unmanned experimental helicopter Dornier Do-32K. It was controlled via a cable and received fuel through it, military expert Oleg Zheltonozhko tells Izvestia. - Currently, the cable interface is used on the Israeli Hovermast copter, but it is not used as part of a combat vehicle.
As Oleg Zheltonozhko says, systems where a reconnaissance drone becomes directly part of a combat vehicle do not yet exist.
The use of a lightweight UAV equipped with a thermal imager and radar system as an external surveillance system seems to be a logical solution specifically for promising armored vehicles, the range of which exceeds the visibility range of on-board detection equipment, says the expert. - For example, the main gun of the Armata is capable of hitting a target at a distance of 8 km, and the recognition range of an enemy tank through the sighting channel is limited to 5 km. In addition, thanks to the presence of the Pterodactyl, the tank will be able to reveal the situation on the battlefield, remaining in cover or hiding behind buildings or uneven terrain.
According to Zheltonozhko, equipping armored vehicles with external surveillance systems capable of observing the terrain at least at a distance of 10 km will provide Armata with an undeniable advantage over any of the existing opponents.
What's the idea anyway? Does it have potential? Why is it not developing in the world?
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE – CONVERTIOLAN “VR-TECHNOLOGIES”
TILTROTOR – UAVS “VR-TECHNOLOGIES”
17.02.2016
The unmanned tiltrotor, which has no analogues, successfully passed the next stage of testing, making its first flight. The creator of the device was the innovative design bureau “VR-Technologies” of the Russian Helicopters holding company. Oil and gas companies and various departments are showing interest in the unique development.
“Work on creating a unique machine began in 2015. During this time, we have achieved significant results and have already begun the first stage of flight tests,” said Alexander Okhonko, General Director of VR-Technology.
The project is being implemented within the framework of the Russian Helicopters program – “Speed”. It is worth noting that the main task in developing this drone was to create a flying laboratory to determine the effectiveness of layout schemes and search for innovative solutions.
It is worth noting that a number of potential customers are already ready to purchase this unmanned system for tasks related to monitoring and environmental protection in places where take-off from the runway is impossible. The complex can monitor smoke in forests and dense urban areas, carry out aerial photography, monitor oil and gas facilities, and deliver medicine to hard-to-reach areas.
The project of a promising multi-purpose unmanned aircraft was presented by the holding in August 2015 as part of the MAKS air show.
Tiltrotors are a special class of rotary-wing aircraft that have a number of advantages compared to traditional aircraft designed according to an airplane or helicopter design. Convertiplanes make it possible to perform vertical takeoff and landing on sites of limited size and at the same time transport passengers or cargo at higher speeds and over a greater distance than traditional helicopters.
Russian Helicopters conducted tests at the Skolkovo Innovation Center
Russian Helicopters
18.05.2016
Russian Helicopters will show three of the latest UAVs for the first time at the HeliRussia-2016 exhibition.
Visitors to the exhibition will be shown an unmanned helicopter, a multicopter and a modernized tiltrotor. The developer of these devices was the VR-Technology design bureau of the Russian Helicopters holding company (part of the Rostec State Corporation).
As part of the development work to create a tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle, VR-Technology specialists built an experimental flying laboratory of the device to test the automatic control and navigation system in various flight modes. In addition, work was carried out to synchronize the tiltrotor's on-board equipment with payload elements (photo and video cameras, scanners, gas analyzers, smoke detectors, various sensors and thermal imagers).
“Compared to the model shown at the MAKS-2015 air show, further research led to a change in the tiltrotor airframe. At the HeliRussia-2016 exhibition, viewers will be able to see the tiltrotor in a modernized version with the addition of a main wing,” said VR-Technology General Director Alexander Okhonko, noting that changes in the tiltrotor design contributed to increasing the flight range, as well as improving flight safety at transitional points. modes of this promising machine.
The tiltrotor, which weighs 35 kg, is capable of rising to a height of up to two kilometers and carrying up to 6 kg of payload. The drone's flight range in automatic mode is about 450 km, and it is driven by a hybrid power plant, allowing it to accelerate to 140 km/h.
Visitors to the exhibition will also be able to see full-scale samples of two more UAV models: a helicopter and a multicopter, which have already successfully passed a series of flight tests. Both models are completely autonomous and are capable of performing tasks according to a predetermined algorithm without operator participation.
The unmanned 8-rotor multicopter is driven by an electric motor and is capable of spending about an hour in the air, carrying 3 kilograms of payload. The maximum speed of the UAV will not exceed 60 km/h.
The helicopter-type UAV is also equipped with an electric motor and is capable of rising to a height of up to two kilometers, carrying with it up to 5 kg of payload, with a maximum flight speed of up to 120 km/h. The design of the helicopter allows the use of a hybrid power plant to increase flight time and range.
JSC Russian Helicopters
