yasotay said:
VTOLicious said:
Quite strange that so little is published about SB-1's progress. And no mockup so far :(

Indeed, I was thinking the same thing. Then there is the silence on what is going on with the Raider. I would have thought that they would want to keep the world informed of how the program is progressing. Unless...

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
 
I'm no expert but does anyone else think that the V-280 tilt rotor approach is looking mechanically simpler than the SB-1 X2 technology?
 
SteveO said:
I'm no expert but does anyone else think that the V-280 tilt rotor approach is looking mechanically simpler than the SB-1 X2 technology?

Two variable geometry transmissions is simpler than one coax? How so?
 
SteveO said:
I'm no expert but does anyone else think that the V-280 tilt rotor approach is looking mechanically simpler than the SB-1 X2 technology?

And so it begins. The Raider PR slows to a halt and the Valor PR picks up steam. It's just a question. That coaxial technology sure does look dangerous.....
 
sferrin said:
SteveO said:
I'm no expert but does anyone else think that the V-280 tilt rotor approach is looking mechanically simpler than the SB-1 X2 technology?

Two variable geometry transmissions is simpler than one coax? How so?
I guess I should have said the V-280 layout looks easier to maintain in my opinion. Obviously it's a very advanced complex design too.
 
sublight is back said:
sferrin said:
sublight is back said:
That coaxial technology sure does look dangerous.....

Why? Coax is nothing new.

I guess I should have been more sarcastic. I'm saying the anti coax BS is coming....
I like coax too but I was expecting the SB-1 to look a little sleeker than it does. I've read the cabin will be 50% larger than a UH-60 but it just looks big for what it is in my opinion (which counts for nothing!).

I was a fan of the compact AVX design ;D

Anything new is good so I hope they both succeed in their test programs.
 
SteveO said:
sublight is back said:
sferrin said:
sublight is back said:
That coaxial technology sure does look dangerous.....

Why? Coax is nothing new.

I guess I should have been more sarcastic. I'm saying the anti coax BS is coming....
I like coax too but I was expecting the SB-1 to look a little sleeker than it does. I've read the cabin will be 50% larger than a UH-60 but it just looks big for what it is in my opinion (which counts for nothing!).

I was a fan of the compact AVX design ;D

Anything new is good so I hope they both succeed in their test programs.

Nothing simple about either aircraft.
 
Also on the 2nd day of Heli Expo, the Bell V280 mock up had the 'Dustoff' medevac so here are my photos again, cheers

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IMG_7751_zpsimpwzsnw.jpg


IMG_7746_zpsywujfdec.jpg
 
View of the rear area of the engine nacelle from the Army Aviation Summit.
 

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“The Bell V-280 is a combat multiplier with a cruise speed of 280 knots and combat range of up to 800 nautical miles. Tiltrotor is the only vertical lift platform that can rapidly self-deploy to any theater,” said Mitch Snyder, executive vice-president for military programs at Bell Helicopter. “And our technology demonstrator is a true medium class aircraft accommodating a crew of four and 11 troops, which translates to the highest level of certainty for a future program of record.”

Artist's impression of the Bell V-280 Valor.

Source:
http://airwingmedia.com/news/2013/bell-introduces-third-generation-tilt-rotor-v280-valor/
 

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http://www.miltechmag.com/2016/04/quad-2016-bell-helicopters-v-280-takes.html
 

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What is the target price for the V-280 (or SB-1 for that matter)? If Bell can take out sufficient cost to match the SB-1, I would imagine they will be the favorite to win (unless hover performance has high priority).
 
fredymac said:
What is the target price for the V-280 (or SB-1 for that matter)? If Bell can take out sufficient cost to match the SB-1, I would imagine they will be the favorite to win (unless hover performance has high priority).

The price tag of demonstrator aircraft doesn't compare very well with operational aircraft ;)

As far as I understand it isn't even sure if the JMR "winner" will be selected for the FVL program. For sure a good basis to qualify for one of the FVL-categories (medium?).

BR Michael
 
unless hover performance has high priority

It has very high priority indeed! But don't worry, the V-280 is supposed to have a much lower disc loading than the V-22 + low speed maneuverability like a helo.

But that's exactly what a demonstrator is for: Proof the numbers ;D
 
If the V-280 flies anything like their engineering simulator flies, it will be impressive. This ain't no V-22!
 
Source:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a20711/bell-valor-tiltrotor/
 

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"Bell Helicopter completes successful V-280 Valor wing and fuselage mate"
Bell Helicopter Press Release
May 05, 2016

Source:
http://www.verticalmag.com/news/article/Bell-Helicopter-completes-successful-V-280-Valor-wing-and-fuselage-mate

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, has successfully joined the V-280 Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator wing and nacelles to the aircraft fuselage. The milestone occurred last week at the company’s aircraft assembly center in Amarillo, Texas.

“The V-280 wing, nacelles and fuselage are now assembled into the aircraft we’ve designed as the next generation tiltrotor,” said Lisa Atherton, executive vice president of military business development for Bell Helicopter. “This is a major milestone. The attention to detail from our employees, our suppliers and from all of team Valor, today and throughout this entire process, has been astounding. Their efforts have resulted in an aircraft that is coming together quickly and according to schedule. We are excited and counting down to the first flight in 2017.”

The V-280 Valor is a next-generation tiltrotor that is designed to provide unmatched agility, speed, range, and payload capabilities at an affordable cost. The V-280’s tiltrotor technology converts vertical takeoff and landing capability into a tactical, operational and strategic advantage.

The revolutionary aircraft capitalizes on the more than 300,000 V-22 fleet flight hours, and leverages Bell Helicopter’s decades of tiltrotor experience.
Once the aircraft achieves a successful first flight in September 2017, program leaders are confident Bell Helicopter will have the data required to go into the full scale engineering, manufacturing and development phase.

“The V-280 tiltrotor is designed with technology advancements that significantly reduce risk and cost, allowing the Department of Defense to field future vertical lift to the warfighter far earlier than previously anticipated,” said Atherton. “We have improved the manufacturing processes to arrive at a revolutionary aircraft with reduced sustainment costs and simplified maintenance procedures. This technology will provide the Department of Defense with the overmatch requirements to win in a complex world.”

The V-280 has an anticipated cruise speed of 280 knots true airspeed, with a 500 to 800 nautical miles combat range and 11 to 14 operators. The Valor benefits from a flexible design, matching multi-mission versatility with exceptional 6K/95 hover performance.

Tiltrotor is the only vertical lift technology, which can rapidly self-deploy to any theater, and can cover more than five times the area of current MEDEVAC platforms. The V-280 provides the low-speed hover agility of a helicopter with fixed-wing range and efficiencies.

In the coming weeks and months work on the V-280 will involve preparing for verification work leading to a tethered power-up at the Bell Helicopter facility in Amarillo in the first half of 2017. Development continues in the company’s flight control systems lab in Fort Worth, Texas. The lab integrates pilot inputs with flight control computers and flight controls, providing data for software that works with the hardware controlling flight loads and hydraulic performance.

The T64-GE-419 engines and gearboxes are expected to be installed in the nacelles this November.
 
http://breakingdefense.com/2016/05/bell-puts-wings-on-its-next-gen-tiltrotor-v-280/
 
Interesting, some of the controls look to be patterned after what Bell has in the 525. Clearly there's design info transfer between programs (V-22 has definitely informed some aspects of the V-280).
 
Some interesting information. A bit long. (Mods delete if too long)

http://www.scout.com/military/warrior/story/1669187-bell-s-new-tiltrotor-can-speed-at-280-knots

Bell Merges Wing to Fuselage of New Advanced Tiltrotor Aircraft
Kris Osborn
Yesterday at 2:50 PM

Bell Helicopters emerging V-280 Valor aims to engineer an advanced tiltrotor aircraft able to hit speeds of 280 knots and also hover and maneuver like a next-generation helicopter.
Bell helicopter has now attached the wing to the fuselage of a new, next-generation tiltrotor aircraft engineered to reach speeds of 280 knots, fly for 800 kilometers on one tank of fuel, hover and maneuver in “high-hot” conditions and function as both a utility and attack helicopter platform.
The intention is to build an advanced, high-tech tiltrotor demonstrator aircraft to take flight in November of 2017 as part of an effort to ultimate build a future aircraft able to begin operations in the 2030s.
“There is one long wing. We attach the middle of the wing to the fuselage - the entire wing is one piece bolted to the fuselage of the airplane. One wing covers both sides. The wing is attached with aircraft grade structural fasteners. There are enough aircraft fasteners to provide sufficient strength to hold the aircraft together,” Vince Tobin, Vice President of Advanced Tiltrotor Systems, Bell Helicopter, told Scout Warrior in an interview.
The new Bell tiltrotor, called the V-280 Valor, is part of the Army’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator program aimed at establishing requirements and paving the way toward a new Future Vertical Lift aircraft designed to meet a wide range of new requirements.
The concept behind the Army’s joint Future Vertical Lift program is to engineer a forward-looking, future aircraft able to reach airplane speeds and yet retain and ability to hover and maneuver like a helicopter.
Bell Helicopter
“The aircraft will have an ability to come to a hover in challenging conditions and then, while at a hover, operate at low speeds with maneuvering capability to roll and yaw. We want it to have the handling perspective to make the aircraft able to do what it is able to do,” Tobin added.
In addition, the future aircraft is intended to be able to use fuel-efficient engine technology to allow an aircraft to travel at least 800 kilometers on a single tank of fuel. Such an ability will enable the aircraft to operate more easily one a single mission without needing Forward Arming and Refueling Points, or FARPs.
The idea is to engineer and aircraft able to fly from the west coast to Hawaii without needing to refuel.
“FVL is a high priority. We have identified capability gaps. We need technologies and designs that are different than what the current fleet has. It will carry more equipment, perform in high-hot conditions, be more maneuverable within the area of operations and execute missions at longer ranges,” Rich Kretzschmar, project manager for the FVL effort, told Scout Warrior in an interview several months ago.
Requirements for the program are still being refined for the Army-led program, which is aimed at service future aircraft for all four services.
These requirements, now being put into actual demonstrator aircraft built by both Bell and a Boeing-Sikorsky industry teams, include building and aircraft able to reach speeds greater than 230 knots, hover in thin air at 6,000-feet and 95-degrees Fahrenheit, achieve a combat radius of at least 434 kilometers and be configured to include emerging sensors and mission equipment technologies likely to emerge by the 2030s.
“We had set 230 as the speed requirement because we wanted to push the technology. We wanted people to bring new ideas and new configurations to the table,” Dan Bailey, JMR TD Program Manager, said in an interview with Scout Warrior several months ago.
Advancing Tiltrotor Technology
Bell intends to build upon and advance existing tiltrotor technology such as that which is currently operation in the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft. The Osprey continues to perform well in a wide range of missions and has recently been selected by the Navy to perform the Carrier On-board Delivery or COD mission transporting troops, equipment and weapons on-and-off surface ships.
The V-280 Valor is designed to be slightly bigger than an existing Black Hawk helicopter and use 24-inch seats to carry 11 passengers with gear, Tobin said.
“What Bell has done is taking its historical V-22 aircraft, and all the demonstrators before that, and applies them to this next-generation tilt-rotor. It is a straight wing versus a V-22 which is not straight. This reduces complexity,” Bailey explained. “They are also building additional flapping into the rotor system and individual controls that should allow for increased low-speed maneuverability.”
The tiltrotors are slated to go on in November, Tobin added.

“We will get the gear boxes and transmission in before we get those blades on,” Tobin explained.
Depending upon ultimate requirement established by the Army and DoD, Bell expects to engineer an attack variant of the aircraft with a slightly different fuselage configuration.
“An armed attack version will have a gun, 2.75in folding-fin rockets and some type of point-to-point missile - hellfire or some later generation missile that would guide off of a laser or IR. We are being open ended in that we are not designing any specific requirement,” Tobin explained.
Next-Generation Sensors
The new attack variant is expected to use a modernized or next-generation of existing Apache sensors and targeting systems called the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor, or MTADS/PVS.
When it comes to sensors and mission equipment, Bell engineers are building a tiltrotor aircraft with what is called “open architecture,” meaning software and hardware able to quickly integrate new technologies as they emerge. The concept is to construct a helicopter that is not intended to operate today but rather advance technology well into the 2030s and beyond. Therefore, it will need to anticipate the weapons, sensors, computer processors and avionics likely to emerge by the 2030s.
Part of this effort includes the integration of a 360-degree sensors suite quite similar to the one used on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter called a Distributed Aperture Systems, or DAS.
“Instead of having sensors mounted to the turret, you have sensors that are mounted to the aircraft – so essentially you have sensors staring in 360-degrees around the aircraft at any given time Those images are stitched together so it appears as one continuous image to the pilot. Both pilots can make use of the same system,” Tobin said.
Bell Helicopter
This technology will also allow troops riding in the back of the aircraft to wear goggles or a helmet giving them a view of the surrounding sensor feeds as they transit to a mission, Tobin added.
The DAS system will also form the basis a small-arms enemy fire detection technology which will search for and locate the signature of incoming enemy attacks. The sensors will be able to discern the location and heat signature coming from enemy small arms fire, giving the aircraft and opportunity to quickly attack with its weapons – lowering risk of injury to the pilots, crew and passengers.
The V-280 Valor will also have yet-to-be-determined Degraded Visual Environment technology that allows sensors to see through obscurants such as brown-out conditions, bad weather and other impediments to navigation. Part of this will also include a system called Controlled Flight into Terrain wherein an aircraft has an ability to quickly re-route itself it is approaching a dangerous obstacle such as a mountain, rock wall or building structure.
Bell Helicopter
This will likely draw upon a semi-autonomous navigation technology built into the aircraft known as “fly-by-wire.” Bell Helicopter developed the initial algorithms for this technology, which is also now on the V-22 Osprey.
Another survivability technology potentially slated for the aircraft is a system known as Common Infrared Countermeasure, or CIRCM; CIRCM is a lighter weight variant of an existing technology which uses a laser-jammer to throw incoming enemy missiles off course – therefore protecting the aircraft.
"We are looking to the DoD customer to see what they want. Either way we can get that on the airplane,” Tobin explained.
-- Kris Osborn can be reached at Kris.Osborn@Scout.com
 
Interesting that they eliminated the leading edge sweep AND increased flapping angle. They must really have a vastly improved knowledge of flapping since the V-22 days.
 
"Bell Advances Next Generation Tiltrotor Development"
by Charles Alcock and Mark Huber
- July 10, 2016, 7:00 AM

Source:
http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2016-07-10/bell-advances-next-generation-tiltrotor-development

Bell is continuing to work on its V-280 Valor Joint Multi Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) third generation military tiltrotor. A mock-up of the aircraft is on display here at the Farnborough International Airshow (Textron, Outside Exhibition area L2).

In April it successfully joined the wing and Israel Aircraft Industries nacelles to the Spirit AeroSystems-built fuselage at its assembly center in Amarillo, Texas. Late this fall Bell will begin installation of GE Aviation T64-GE-419 engines and main gearboxes prior to tether tests, leading up to a planned first flight in September 2017.

In an interview ahead of this week’s show, Bell Helicopter CEO Mitch Snyder argued that the V-280 is in pole position to win the U.S. military’s Future Vertical Lift Program for a next-decade to replace the Army’s Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks and the Bell UH-1 operated by the Marines. Bell is competing against the Boeing Sikorsky Defiant. “We have the proven technology—a straight wing with no gearboxes and the nacelles completely tilt so everything stays level,” he said. “This aircraft offers tremendous reliability and provides higher performance.”

First flight will provide Bell engineers with the data needed for the full-scale engineering, manufacturing, and development phase of the program. Concurrent to this activity, development is continuing in the company’s flight control systems lab in Fort Worth, Texas. The lab integrates pilot inputs with flight control computers and flight controls, providing data for software that works with the hardware controlling flight loads and hydraulic performance.

The V-280 includes the extensive use of monolithic honeycomb and carbon-core composite components in the fuselage, wings, tail structures, ruddervators, and the widespread use of chemical bonding in place of traditional fasteners to affix substructures. “We have improved the manufacturing processes to arrive at a revolutionary aircraft with reduced sustainment costs and simplified maintenance procedures,” said Bell executive v-p of military business development Lisa Atherton.

The JMR-TD program could involve deliveries of as many as 4,000 aircraft by the year 2030 under a contract potentially worth $100 billion. The UK’s Ministry of Defence has shown interest in the program, which will likely lead to significant foreign military sales.

Bell (Outside Exhibition L2-L5) designed the V-280 to have a cruise speed of 280 knots and a 500- to 800-nautical mile combat range with 11 to 14 troops; a 2,100-nm ferry range; a 12,000+-pound useful load; and the ability to take off in 6K/95F conditions (up to 6,000 feet pressure altitude and up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit).

Differs From V-22

It differs in design substantially for its older V-22 cousin, which has now logged more than 300,000 flight hours and is reportedly the busiest aircraft in service with the U.S. Marines. Rather than a rear ramp, it has a V-tail and two six-foot-wide sliding fuselage side doors for faster ingress/egress. Next-generation troops also will be able to wirelessly recharge their various high-tech, battery-powered gear from power sources built into the seats.

On the V-22, the engines, gearboxes and prop-rotors all rotate as thrust direction is changed; on the V-280 only the gearboxes and prop-rotors rotate. The V-280 will have 50 percent more flapping capability in its rotor system than that on the V-22, giving it greater agility in all axes.

While a final avionics configuration is still many years away, Bell is displaying a single-screen touchscreen instrument panel in the V-280 mock-up designed to use the foundation of the PDAS (pilot displayed aperture system) currently flying in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter and developed by Northrup Grumman. PDAS in the F-35 provides 360-degree situational awareness by sending high-resolution real-time imagery to the pilot’s helmet from six infrared cameras mounted around the aircraft, while the system’s software prioritizes threats, and provides “data fusing.”

“The screen behaves like a tablet, with pinch, zoom and swipe capability,” explained Bell V-280 project engineer Jeremy Chavez. “This cockpit will be operational in 10-15 years. The pilots who will be flying this are eight years old today. They are growing up with smartphones and tablets, so this kind of interface would be highly intuitive for them and that is what we want to implement in the design. We want them to be able to absorb as much information as they can, but display it in an intuitive way that is aiding the flight—not going through subsystem after subsystem to locate the information, but having it where you need it, when you need it; and then you close it out when you don’t need it.”

The screen itself would be constructed from a series of small “plug and play” display modules that fit together into one giant mosaic, thus insulating the whole system from failure in the event of a ballistic impact or other cause. Data from a dead module would automatically transfer to the live part of the mosaic, ensuring no data was lost. “If you take a ballistic impact, 95 percent of the screen is still intact,” Chavez said, while admitting that Bell engineers have a way to go before the system is ready to fly. “But we’re very excited,” he said.
 

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http://www.military.com/video/aircraft/helicopters/farnborough-2016-bell-v-280-update/5031243145001
 
Although the Valor, if produced, will represent a great advance on many levels, I'm not sure why people marvel at the concept as if it was unheard of.

I'm sure this has been commented upon before, but it strikes me just how similar the V280 is to the D323 (Marine assault) and D324 (Navy Type A) proposals of the 1970s. True, the latter two had tilt-rotors, while the Valor has tilt-props... but besides this the general configuration is exactly the same: straight high wings, V-tail. In some aspects, the D323 concept even seems superior (greater capacity, sleeker engine nacelles, better aerodynamics at wing roots, etc.) but it was also heavier, and I guess the missions being different these considerations are partly irrelevant.

The same kind of unjustified amazement also exists with Defiant and Raider... Coaxial rotors are almost as old as the helicopter itself (Hiller's XH-44 Hillercopter of 1944 being one). The concept was valid, it worked well. It's just that this configuration was never favored by the customers, and so the manufacturers didn't push the development far enough to overcome the few technical obstacles that are inherent with putting any design into production. I'm pretty sure that If Sikorsky had had a chance to develop their S-72 further, and if Bell had received an order for one of the 1970s tiltrotors, we'd have aircraft of both configurations flying routinely around the world for at least two decades. Unfortunately, boldness too seldom pays off... and these guys go back to reinventing the wheel...
 

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My take at the interest shown in Valor is that it represents actual hardware and real commitment instead of just another artist’s concept that never goes beyond a marketing brochure. Decades of artwork leave a desire for something physical.

As for the co-axial helicopter layout, what makes the Defiant/Raider different is the application of close coupled rigid rotors as a means to compensate retreating blade stall. With stall balanced symmetrically in the horizontal axis, I suspect the vertical separation of the rotor planes would be the major remaining source of vibration as lift from the right hand side is offset from the left hand lift producing rotor. I doubt a hinged co-axial rotor would be able to safely achieve high speeds unless the rotors were extremely far apart (with all the vibration that would then incur).
 
Skyblazer said:
I'm sure this has been commented upon before, but it strikes me just how similar the V280 is to the D323 (Marine assault) and D324 (Navy Type A) proposals of the 1970s. True, the latter two had tilt-rotors, while the Valor has tilt-props... but besides this the general configuration is exactly the same: straight high wings, V-tail. In some aspects, the D323 concept even seems superior (greater capacity, sleeker engine nacelles, better aerodynamics at wing roots, etc.) but it was also heavier, and I guess the missions being different these considerations are partly irrelevant.

The Valor has tilt-rotors, not tilt-props. They function like helicopter rotors in helicopter mode with variable pitch and cyclic for control. Tilt-props do not, hence the requirement for a vertically orientated rotor/fan/thruster in the tail for pitch control as in the XC-142 and other tilt wings. The rotor also has a relatively low disc loading (large diameter) so the wing does not have to be tilted out of the way in helicopter mode as it does in a tilt-wing with tilt-props.
 
Another video on the cockpit display but includes a brief glimpse at optical sensors mounted at the front including an F-35/EOTS like aperture (53 second mark).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xvSntrZc0E
 
Skyblazer said:
Although the Valor, if produced, will represent a great advance on many levels, I'm not sure why people marvel at the concept as if it was unheard of.

I'm sure this has been commented upon before, but it strikes me just how similar the V280 is to the D323 (Marine assault) and D324 (Navy Type A) proposals of the 1970s. True, the latter two had tilt-rotors, while the Valor has tilt-props... but besides this the general configuration is exactly the same: straight high wings, V-tail. In some aspects, the D323 concept even seems superior (greater capacity, sleeker engine nacelles, better aerodynamics at wing roots, etc.) but it was also heavier, and I guess the missions being different these considerations are partly irrelevant.

The same kind of unjustified amazement also exists with Defiant and Raider... Coaxial rotors are almost as old as the helicopter itself (Hiller's XH-44 Hillercopter of 1944 being one). The concept was valid, it worked well. It's just that this configuration was never favored by the customers, and so the manufacturers didn't push the development far enough to overcome the few technical obstacles that are inherent with putting any design into production. I'm pretty sure that If Sikorsky had had a chance to develop their S-72 further, and if Bell had received an order for one of the 1970s tiltrotors, we'd have aircraft of both configurations flying routinely around the world for at least two decades. Unfortunately, boldness too seldom pays off... and these guys go back to reinventing the wheel...

Not to mention that this platform, just like the Osprey, has very high latency cyclic maneuvering which makes it subpar when you need highly accurate maneuvering and landing and even more so in dynamic conditions. It wont replace helicopters like some people believe it will.
 
I don't know if swashplates are a defining requirement to distinguish props from rotors. Karem's Optimum Speed tiltrotor doesn't use them and relies on variable speed with individually actuated rigid rotors. I don't know if he already did that on the A160 Hummingbird.

In any event, the V-22 does use them.
 

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sublight is back said:
Skyblazer said:
Although the Valor, if produced, will represent a great advance on many levels, I'm not sure why people marvel at the concept as if it was unheard of.

I'm sure this has been commented upon before, but it strikes me just how similar the V280 is to the D323 (Marine assault) and D324 (Navy Type A) proposals of the 1970s. True, the latter two had tilt-rotors, while the Valor has tilt-props... but besides this the general configuration is exactly the same: straight high wings, V-tail. In some aspects, the D323 concept even seems superior (greater capacity, sleeker engine nacelles, better aerodynamics at wing roots, etc.) but it was also heavier, and I guess the missions being different these considerations are partly irrelevant.

The same kind of unjustified amazement also exists with Defiant and Raider... Coaxial rotors are almost as old as the helicopter itself (Hiller's XH-44 Hillercopter of 1944 being one). The concept was valid, it worked well. It's just that this configuration was never favored by the customers, and so the manufacturers didn't push the development far enough to overcome the few technical obstacles that are inherent with putting any design into production. I'm pretty sure that If Sikorsky had had a chance to develop their S-72 further, and if Bell had received an order for one of the 1970s tiltrotors, we'd have aircraft of both configurations flying routinely around the world for at least two decades. Unfortunately, boldness too seldom pays off... and these guys go back to reinventing the wheel...

Not to mention that this platform, just like the Osprey, has very high latency cyclic maneuvering which makes it subpar when you need highly accurate maneuvering and landing and even more so in dynamic conditions. It wont replace helicopters like some people believe it will.

The V-280 will have to meet the same maneuverability requirements as any other platform competing. If the requirements call for more than a helicopter can do, it will be problematic for the helicopter to meet the specification.
 
yasotay said:
The V-280 will have to meet the same maneuverability requirements as any other platform competing. If the requirements call for more than a helicopter can do, it will be problematic for the helicopter to meet the specification.
If the requirements call for what a helicopter can do, it will be problematic for the V-280 to meet the same maneuverability requirements. If the requirements focus on the speed and range the V-280 can do, it will be problematic for the helicopter to meet the specification.
 
fredymac said:
I don't know if swashplates are a defining requirement to distinguish props from rotors. Karem's Optimum Speed tiltrotor doesn't use them and relies on variable speed with individually actuated rigid rotors. I don't know if he already did that on the A160 Hummingbird.

In any event, the V-22 does use them.

Not necessarily a swashplate, but you'll need some kind of cyclic control.
 
The latest and greatest idea is to ditch the swashplate and use individually actuated blades controlled by computer. Don't know if anybody has actually got it to work in real life though.
 
Supposedly Karem's OSTR has 'em, and the AgustaWestland Project zero too. Neither has really "flown", though. Ground tested for sure.
 
sferrin said:
The latest and greatest idea is to ditch the swashplate and use individually actuated blades controlled by computer. Don't know if anybody has actually got it to work in real life though.

If they can actually pull that off, it might be the real helicopter-killer. I just wouldn't want to ride in the 1.0 versions though....
 

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