Sikorsky, a division of Lockheed Martin, successfully tested their rotor blown wing military drone in both helicopter and airplane modes. This 115-pound uncrewed aerial system (UAS) is powered by batteries and has a twin prop-rotor system that demonstrated operational stability as well as maneuverability across all flight regimes.
Practical uses for this rotor blown wing aircraft include search & rescue missions, firefighting monitoring, humanitarian response, and pipeline surveillance. Sikorsky is currently developing larger variants that will enable long range intelligence, surveillance / reconnaissance, and piloted drone teaming (crewed/uncrewed teaming) missions.
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Our rotor blown wing has demonstrated the control power and unique handling qualities necessary to transition repeatedly and predictably from a hover to high-speed wing-borne cruise flight, and back again. New control laws were required for this transition maneuver to work seamlessly and efficiently. The data indicates we can operate from pitching ships decks and unprepared ground when scaled to much larger sizes,” said Igor Cherepinsky, Sikorsky Innovations Director.
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