Sikorsky S-72

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S-72 RSRA

The S-72 in flight without a main rotor in 1984
Type Experimental helicopter
Manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft
Maiden flight 12 October 1976
Number built 2

The Sikorsky S-72 was an experimental hybrid helicopter/fixed-wing aircraft developed by helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft.

Contents

[edit] Design and development

[edit] RSRA

The Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA) was developed by Sikorsky for NASA and the Army. Configured with rotor, wings and auxiliary jets, the RSRA allows testing of new rotor concepts at speeds up to 300 knots. It could fly like a helicopter with a wing and jets, or as a fixed-wing aircraft without a rotor.

The RSRA was a unique pure research aircraft developed to fill the void between design analysis, wind tunnel testing, and flight results of rotor aircraft. The joint NASA/Army project began in December of 1970, first flight on October 12, 1976 with the first of two aircraft arriving from Sikorsky to NASA on February 11, 1979.

[edit] The X-Wing

Sikorsky S-72 modified as the X-Wing testbed
Sikorsky S-72 modified as the X-Wing testbed
Rotor Systems Research Aircraft / X-Wing aircraft during a 1987 high speed taxi test.
Rotor Systems Research Aircraft / X-Wing aircraft during a 1987 high speed taxi test.

The Sikorsky X-Wing was developed between 1983 and 1988 by helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky with NASA and DARPA funding. Intended to take off vertically like a helicopter, the craft's rigid rotors could be stopped in mid-flight to act as X-shaped wings to provide additional lift during forward flight, as well as having more conventional wings.

Instead of controlling lift by twisting its blades as more conventional helicopters do, the craft used compressed air fed from the engines and expelled from its blades to generate a virtual wing surface, similar to blown flaps on a conventional platform. Computerized valves made sure the compressed air came from the correct edge of the rotor, the correct edge changing as the rotor rotated.

[edit] Specifications (S-72)

Data from Avia.Russian.ee Website[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2-3
  • Length: ft in (21.50 m)
  • Wingspan: ft in (18.90 m)
  • Height: ft in (4.42 m)
  • Wing area: ft² (m²)
  • Empty weight: lb (9,480 kg)
  • Loaded weight: lb (kg)
  • Useful load: lb (kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: lb (11,815 kg)
  • Powerplant:
    • 2× General Electric TF-34-GE-400A turbofans, lbf (4180 kN) each
    • 2× General Electric T-58-GE-5 turboshaft, shp (1,045 kW) each
  • * Take-off weight without auxiliary jets: 8,300kg
  • Empty weight without auxiliary jets: 6,535kg

Performance


[edit] See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sikorsky S-72. Retrieved on 2006-12-8.

[edit] External links

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