Sikorsky Long-Range Hybrid-Electric VTOL Demonstrator (HEX)

[VTOLicious]

"Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, is producing a Hybrid-Electric Demonstrator (HEX), a fully-autonomous hybrid-electric vertical-take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) prototype. With a maximum gross weight of more than 7,000-pounds, the uncrewed aircraft will serve as a flying test-bed to evaluate large aircraft design, novel propulsion systems and control architectures for sustained hover, and ranges greater than 500 nautical miles."

"For the HEX project, GE Aerospace will offer a CT7 turboshaft engine combined with a 1MW-class generator and associated power electronics, building on hybrid electric propulsion systems being developed by GE Aerospace for both NASA and the U.S. Army."

"The Sikorsky Innovations rapid prototyping group will lead the HEX program. Led by its director, Igor Cherepinsky, the Innovations team will design, build and integrate the HEX airframe and electric motors with the company’s MATRIX™ autonomy flight control system. Depending on insights learned from the flight test program, and assessment of customer applications, the HEX program could lead to a family of eVTOL vehicles scaled to carry passengers and payload for both military and commercial applications."

https://news.lockheedmartin.com/202...nform-Future-Military-and-Commercial-Missions

• eVTOL capable of sustained hover
• MATRIX FCS, uncrewed, fully autonomous
• CT7 turboshaft engine / 1MW-class generator
• Max gross weight of >7,000-pounds
• Range >500 nautical miles

Let's see how that turns out.

 

[VTOLicious]

AW with lil bit more info...

"...Flight tests of the hybrid-electric demonstrator—or HEX—will start in 2026 and evaluate performance over a wide range of capabilities covering hover, high-speed cruise and endurance. The hybrid propulsion system will “decouple the rotor speed from the engine speed and gets rid of the mechanical complexity of the aircraft,” Cherepinsky says.
The propulsion system will borrow heavily from technology now under development by GE under the NASA electrified powertrain flight demonstrator (EPFD) project and the U.S. Army’s Applied Research Collaborative Systematic Turboshaft Electrification Project (ARC-STEP)..."

https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/...sky-ge-team-hybrid-electric-vtol-demonstrator

 

[robunos]

The hybrid propulsion system will “decouple the rotor speed from the engine speed and gets rid of the mechanical complexity of the aircraft,” Cherepinsky says.

Interesting, possible application to X2 . . . ?

cheers,
Robin.

 

[VTOLicious]

https://verticalmag.com/news/sikors...ator-will-lay-groundwork-for-future-products/

"...The company’s prototyping group, Sikorsky Innovations, is working with engine manufacturer GE Aerospace on the tilt-wing demonstrator, which will have a maximum gross weight of 9,000 pounds (4,080 kilograms) and a 1.2 megawatt-class turbogenerator with associated power electronics... According to Sikorsky Innovations director Igor Cherepinsky, HEX is targeting a range of more than 500 nautical miles (925 kilometers) at speeds in the “high 200 knots.”

 

[yasotay]

I am very glad to see Sikorsky move back into tilt-wing technology. I also find the idea of hybrid electric (turbine generated electric power) worthy of further exploration.

Looking forward to watching this.

 

[Reaper]

I think they are 5y+ behind the times what Bell looked at. Discover the Safran Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System