Piasecki More Confident About SpeedHawk

Piasecki More Confident About SpeedHawk

(NSI News Source Info) October 21, 2008: Piasecki is preparing to modify the X-49A SpeedHawk for high-speed flight testing under a second phase, and the firm indicates that Capitol Hill and the Pentagon are signaling their support to keep pursuing the unique rotorcraft. The company’s confidence has grown recently after a period of ambiguity over the sole prototype. CEO John Piasecki says U.S. Army funding is in place to begin work on Phase 2, while the Navy has signaled that it will allow Piasecki to push the X-49A beyond the SH-60F’s approved flight envelope (Aerospace DAILY, June 11). According to the chief executive, lawmakers and defense officials have lined up at least $7.8 million for the effort in the near future - although the CEO maintains more will be needed. The company is aiming to exceed 200 knots once a third engine has been installed and the helicopter “cleaned up” by retracting the gear and fairing the rotor hub to cut drag. The goal of Phase 1 was to validate that the X-49A was structurally capable of flying beyond the SH-60F’s approved limits, as well as initial verification of the performance benefits claimed for the compound helicopter. Piasecki says both objectives were met with a 47 percent speed increase on the same power and up to 50 percent lower vibration because lift and thrust is off-loaded from the rotor to the wing and Vectored Thrust Ducted Propeller (VTDP). (Video is available online at AviationWeek.com/ares.) Piasecki estimates a production SpeedHawk - with its VTDP, wing and 650 shaft horsepower supplementary power unit - would weigh 1,750 pounds more empty than a UH-60L, but have a 500-pound greater useful load and almost three-times the combat radius. Cruise speed would be 205 knots compared with 140 knots for the UH-60L, while dash speed would reach 222 knots compared with 150 knots.