Eurocopter X3

The Eurocopter X3 is a Technikdemonstrator the European helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter, which is to connect as a hybrid construction, the advantages of a vertical take-off and landing helicopter with a fast-flying propeller aircraft. It is being developed and tested at the company headquarters in the southern French Eurocopter Marignane.

History

Since early 2008, Eurocopter is working on the flight screwdriver. This fast-flying aircraft - helicopter hybrid was English high-speed hybrid helicopter, abbreviated H3, called, which later became the name X3 ( X-cube ) or X3 was, where X stands for eXperimental. For the first time publicly presented Eurocopter flight screwdriver on 27 September 2010 after these three weeks was previously started on a military airfield for its maiden flight. During a test flight on 29 November 2010, the Air Wrench in southern France Istres reached a speed of 333 km / h and a height of 3810 m. On 12 May 2011 he reached a horizontal flight speed of 430 km / h ( 232 kn). On 7 June 2013, the Eurocopter X3 presented at a speed of 255 knots (472 km / h) at steady level flight at 10,000 feet ( 3048 m) altitude above the southern French town of Istres a new record. A few days before the X3 achieved the speed of 263 knots (487 km / h) during descent.

Purpose

The manufacturer has provided for the X3 multiple applications. The advantage of the X3 in rescue operations is that he can fly faster than a conventional helicopter and on, but at the same time as any other land and can start. The same advantages for military missions, such as military search and rescue operations and the use of commando units.

Construction

The cell of the Eurocopter X3 comes from Eurocopter AS 365 Dauphin and the five-blade rotor from the EC 155 fuselage on two lateral stub wings were attached, each with a large propeller. The propeller increase thrust from 60 knots, while the wings increase the buoyancy of the rotor.

The drive serve two Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca RTM322 turbines each with 1693 kW, driving the main rotor and the propeller thrust on the main gear of an EC 175. The RTM322 variant of the X3 is based on the RTM322 engine of the NH90. It includes a digital control (FADEC ), which was adapted to the requirements of the X3 demonstrator.

For the torque balance at X3 no tail rotor is needed; this is done rather by differential thrust of the propeller ( pitch adjustment ). At higher speeds, takes over as conventional helicopters the rudder increasingly this function.

Another difference with conventional helicopter is that the forward thrust is not achieved by the inclination of the rotor surface, but by the speed control of the propeller. Therefore, the rotor surface has in normal flight with more than 60 nodes on a zero angle of attack. At higher speeds, the rotor speed is reduced to avoid a supersonic speed at the blade ends, which otherwise limits the maximum speed of helicopters due to the compression of air thus occurs.

On September 6, 2010 Eurocopter took test flights with a prototype of the flying wrench X3 at the military airfield Istres Le Tube - to ( aircraft registration mark: F- ZXXX ). The desired design objective is summarized in a 50 percent increase in speed by only 25 % higher cost.

Specifications

Comparable flight screwdriver types

  • Sikorsky S -69 ( XH- 59A )
  • Lockheed AH -56
  • Sikorsky Piasecki X -49
  • Sikorsky X2
  • Sikorsky S -97
Combat Search and Rescue Sikorsky S-97 Raider Eurocopter EC 130 Eurocopter EC 135
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