Flight Global has an excellent piece by Andy Healy about the helicopter business' recent development of 1950s innovative design with 21st century technology.
The ever expanding helicopter market has exploded with bold aircraft for both military and civilian use.
Many of these designs go well beyond the tried and true rotor and propeller system that has defined generations of helicopter technology since their introduction into military use in the forties.
Eurocopter thinks their X3 will be perfect for the Special Forces
The Eurocopter X3 prototype has just landed in the U.S. for a national tour that will see it spending quite a bit of time in the Washington area in an attempt to woo policymakers toward the design.
Eurocopter intends the chopper to be used for search-and-rescue, border patrol, special forces operations, and troop transport.
For this helicopter, speed is the name of the game. The two propellers on the sides of the craft both stabilize the helicopter — removing the need for a tail prop — as well as help it gain excellent acceleration and speed.
The Eurocopter X3 will also make Medevac a much speedier operation
In case the military pitch fails to convince the Pentagon that the X3 is what they've been needing, Eurocopter expects that the craft will see many possible civilian uses.
The helicopter can be used for corporate transportation in lieu of a jet, and the dual turboshaft engines will make it one of the fastest helicopters at the airport.
Given that it doesn't need a runway, it's a very versatile aircraft that maintains speed.
AgustaWestland already considers their AW609 a success
AgustaWestland – an Italian and English company — already has seventy orders for their AW609.
The aircraft employs a tilt rotor design, allowing it to take off and land vertically while having similarities to a regular prop aircraft in flight.
Despite the piling up of civilian orders, AgustaWestland is mostly aiming for the Military and Government market. The parent company, Finmeccanica, is one of the world's largest defense contractors.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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