Sikorsky subsidiary Robinson’s R66 Turbinetruck seems like many different mild cargo helicopters, but one thing about it appears slightly off. However what? Oh, proper – as an alternative of a cockpit, the plane has a pair of clamshell doorways and no place for a crew.
If there’s one fixed in aerospace engineering, it’s that making an plane lighter, quicker, extra environment friendly, and in a position to carry extra payload is at all times a plus. If a designer claims that what a aircraft actually wants is to be heavier and carry much less, it could be sensible to get a second opinion.
With this in thoughts, engineers are at all times in search of issues to toss out of an airframe. Too heavy? Change metal with aluminum or magnesium. Minimize holes in assist constructions. Higher but, remove some helps solely and let the geometry of the fuselage itself carry the load.
How far can this strategy go? Let me put it this manner. I as soon as imagined that an airliner’s pores and skin should be as sturdy because the metal plating of a passenger ship. Then I used to be handed a sheet of the aluminum alloy used for fuselage panels. With little assist and barely in a position to stand below its personal weight, it appeared flimsier than the foil container holding my takeaway curry.
That very same philosophy informs the R66 Turbinetruck. It’s primarily based on the Sikorsky S-70UAS U-Hawk, itself derived from the Black Hawk fight helicopter. Within the U-Hawk, the cockpit is changed by clamshell cargo doorways, whereas the Sikorsky MATRIX autonomy suite takes over the position of the flight crew.
At first look, it could look as if Sikorsky is just repeating the identical concept on a smaller platform, however there’s extra to it than that.
Sikorsky
In response to Robinson, the R66 Turbinetruck represents a “democratization” of autonomous vertical-lift expertise. As an alternative of modifying a big navy helicopter, the idea applies the identical autonomous strategy to a smaller, easier-to-produce turbine plane. The result’s an uncrewed rotorcraft meant as a high-utility, low-cost helicopter for each industrial and navy functions.
The distinction turns into clearer when evaluating the R66 Turbinetruck with its predecessor.
The U-Hawk is a heavy-duty, multi-mission platform designed for straight out fight roles. It has two GE T700-GE-701C turboshaft engines, weighs in at 22,000 lb (9,979 kg), can carry an inner payload of about 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) or an exterior payload of 9,000 lb (4,082 kg). It could actually cruise at 159 knots (183 mph, 294 km/h) with a flight endurance of 14 hours with auxiliary tanks. It could actually additionally carry an array of heavy munitions that may deploy via both the ahead clamshells or a rear ramp – and it prices some huge cash.
In distinction, the R66 Turbinetruck is designed to be mild and cheap. Powered by a single Rolls-Royce RR300 turboshaft engine, it has a most gross weight of two,900 lb (1,315 kg) and may carry as much as 1,200 lb (544 kg) internally or externally. Its cruising velocity is about 120 knots (138 mph / 222 km/h), with an endurance of as much as 4 hours.
As a result of it’s less expensive than the U-Hawk, the R66 Turbinetruck may be thought-about comparatively expendable in high-risk environments. It additionally consumes much less gas and requires much less upkeep. Just like the U-Hawk, it may be quickly reconfigured for various missions due to its modular design and MATRIX autonomy software program.
“With each new platform we welcome into the MATRIX household, we widen the community of uncrewed programs to serve quite a lot of civil and navy missions,” stated Wealthy Benton, vp and common supervisor of Sikorsky. “We view the U-Hawk and R66 Turbinetruck as complementary bookends that meet rising buyer wants throughout protection and industrial segments, delivering seamless functionality wherever the mission calls for. Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy suite is quickly changing into the business normal for protected, dependable and repeatable autonomy for these missions.”
Supply: Sikorsky
