西科斯基将混合电力推进技术作为垂直升降机的未来发展方向

While the commercial aviation sector has been investing heavily in sustainability, the interest from military operators has been far more tepid.

Although the US Air Force has provided research and development funding to a number of electric and hybrid-electric aircraft designers, including Beta Technologies and Electra, the Pentagon has no plans to field sustainable aircraft operationally.

The prospects for such a move have become even dimmer under the Trump Administration, which has purged support for electric vehicles, climate change research, renewable energy, and defense programs not focused on the ill-defined concept of “lethality”.

However, one major defense manufacturer sees such technology as an important plank of its future business.

“We think hybrid-electric will be a big part of the future,” says Rich Benton, general manager of vertical lift heavyweight Sikorsky.

Speaking to FlightGlobal, Benton says hybrid-electric propulsion systems have the potential to increase the range of conventional helicopters by 30%, along with similar reductions in operating and maintenance costs.

Instead of transferring mechanical energy from a turboshaft to rotor blades, a serial hybrid-electric propulsion system employs a small thermal engine as a turbogenerator, which then powers the electric proprotor motors.

“We only have electrical wiring instead of transmissions and drivetrains, so it has fewer failure points,” Ramsey Bentley, Sikorsky’s director of advanced concepts and innovation, tells FlightGlobal.

This, he notes, also makes hybrid-electric rotorcraft easier and cheaper to maintain, even in an austere field environment.

Benton also notes that the hybrid-electric propulsion systems under development could also be capable of operating in a full-electric mode, offering unique benefits to rotorcraft operators.

“Now you don’t have an engine or a turbine running,” Benton notes. “That provides a unique acoustic signature, depending on what the mission capability would be.”

Sikorsky is developing a prototype hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) demonstrator known as HEX that will boast a range of some 500nm (926km) with maximum gross take-off weight of 4,800kg (9,000lb) and the ability to travel at “high speed”.

The tiltwing concept is powered by two GE Aerospace 600kW electric motors, coupled with a 1.2MW generator, and equipped with Sikorsky’s proprietary Matrix autonomous flight system.

Although its initial HEX concept will be controlled by an onboard pilot and be capable of carrying passengers, the design is meant to serve as a platform to demonstrate and mature technology for a future family of air mobility vehicles.

Elsewhere, Sikorsky is advancing another hybrid-electric tiltwing vehicle intended for operational military service.

Known as the rotor-blown-wing (RBW), the uncrewed VTOL rotorcraft will come in a range of sizes intended for different mission sets, including reconnaissance, air-to-ground strikes, electronic warfare or even transporting cargo.

In January, the company completed a successful transition from vertical to forward flight using a 3.1m (10.3ft) wingspan, 52kg sub-scale RBW demonstrator – a task which required developing new control laws for the novel aircraft.

Sikorsky has since completed dozens of flights with the tail-sitting vehicle, with strong optimism about potential military applications for the hybrid-electric concept.

The company envisions at least four different autonomous RBW variants, with two in the Group 4 category of large uncrewed aircraft with a maximum take-off weight above 598kg and an operating ceiling of up to 18,000ft.

Benton says the largest RBW models could be outfitted with an underwing cabin to carry passengers, opening up a wider range of commercial and military applications.

Notably, he says the best opportunity to launch the new hybrid-electric engine technology may be in the civil market, which has not been a major business focus for Sikorsky in recent years.

“We’re looking at potentially the civil market being the launch customer for hybrid-electric,” he notes.

This could see a new aircraft reach the market in the 2030s. Benton says it could be either a tiltwing or a conventional single-main rotor design.

...来自 SP 的说明

Story and Image Credit: FlightGlobal 和 Sikorsky

关于作者

EVHNews

全球电动混合动力汽车、电动航空、电动船舶技术及未来创新电动混合动力 VTOL 航空航天技术新闻！

EVHNews.com 是 EVVTOL 的全球数字技术平台。EVVTOL 是全球电动汽车/混合动力汽车、电子航空、E-VTOL、E-Marine 未来技术行业展示和展览活动组织机构，全球最大的电动汽车和 E-VTOL 品牌在此投资未来交通。

EV H News 致力于电动汽车和电动混合动力汽车、电动航空、电动直升机、电动船舶、电动交通、电动半导体和电动卡车等行业。
这个数字平台将包括来自全球行业领导者的评论和资源，其中许多侧重于清洁蓝色技术和替代燃料（如适用）。EVH 新闻平台让所有人都能获得未来电子汽车、电子航空、电子海运、电子摩托车、电子半导体和电子卡车等行业突破性电子技术的工具和信息。

关于 EVVTOL

- EVVTOL 是一家新公司，其品牌定位是全球最具影响力的未来技术展/博览会活动组织，其战略定位是成功满足电动汽车和 VTOL 运输行业客户的需求！

- EVVTOL 的目标是展示电动汽车和 VTOL 行业，并通过发布和展示尖端电动汽车和 E-VTOL 技术，介绍电动汽车和 VTOL 领域的主要车辆和零部件制造商。

- EVVTOL 的使命是推出多个技术展和博览会，包括有影响力的高级别电动汽车商业峰会，这些峰会以与电动汽车和电动交通行业、能源汽车信息技术和充电基础设施行业的主要制造商进行商业接触这两个主题为基础。这些活动是了解和讨论电动汽车和 VTOL 行业未来最新交通技术进步以及电池能源挑战的绝佳机会。

(evvtol.org) 877-4EV-VTOL (877-438-8865)

查看作者的帖子

EVHNews

全球电动混合动力汽车、电动航空、电动船舶技术及未来创新电动混合动力 VTOL 航空航天技术新闻！ EVHNews.com 是 EVVTOL 的全球数字技术平台。EVVTOL 是全球电动汽车/混合动力汽车、电动航空、电动 VTOL、电动船舶未来技术行业展示和展览活动组织机构，全球最大的电动汽车和电动 VTOL 品牌在此投资未来交通。 EV H News 致力于电动汽车和电动混合动力汽车、电动航空、电动飞行器、电动船舶等行业，包括电动交通、电动半导体和电动卡车。 这个数字平台将包括来自全球行业领导者的评论和资源，其中许多侧重于清洁蓝色技术和替代燃料（如适用）。EVH 新闻平台让所有人都能获得工具和信息，了解未来电子汽车、电子航空、电子海运、电子摩托车、电子半导体和电子卡车等电子运动行业的突破性电子技术。 关于 EVVTOL - EVVTOL 是一家新公司，以最具影响力的全球未来技术展/博览活动组织为品牌，其战略定位是成功满足电动汽车和 VTOL 运输行业客户的需求！ - EVVTOL 的目标是展示电动汽车和 VTOL 行业，并通过揭幕和展示最先进的电动汽车和 E-VTOL 技术，介绍电动汽车和 VTOL 的主要车辆和零部件制造商。 - EVVTOL 的使命是推出多个技术展和博览会，包括有影响力的高级别电动汽车商业峰会，这些峰会以与电动汽车和电动交通行业、能源汽车信息技术和充电基础设施行业的主要制造商进行商业接触为双重主题。这些活动是了解和讨论电动汽车和 VTOL 行业未来最新交通技术进步以及电池能源挑战的绝佳机会。 (evvtol.org) 877-4EV-VTOL (877-438-8865)

查看完整生平