# REALLY Heavy Lift



## Kirkhill (19 Sep 2005)

I hesitate to post this as I don't want to give the politicians an excuse not to act on lift needs now because there may be something coming down the pike years from now.

However this concept, a rotorcraft with 16 to 26 tonnes of lift and 150 to 500 nm range at Sea Level to 6000 ft, could have bearing on decisions on the BFS and also on combat vehicles that might be acquired in the future.  As I understand it this requirement would create an aircraft with roughly double the lift capacity of something like the Chinook and would permit the slinging of Up-armoured Strykers or even vehicles like the CV90.


US Army Awards Five Agreements for Concept Design & Analysis of Joint Heavy Lift (JHL) Rotorcraft 
  
  
(Source: US Army; issued Sept. 16, 2005)
  
  
 The US Army, in cooperation with its Joint Service and NASA partners, announces the award of five agreements/contracts for the Concept Design and Analysis (CDA) of a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Joint Heavy Lift, (JHL) rotorcraft.  

The purpose of the CDA activity is to define the "art of the possible", the "science of the probable" and the "design of the affordable" for a JHL VTOL rotorcraft that enables future joint concepts of operations (CONOPS). These include such things as conducting mounted and dismounted vertical envelopment; executing operational maneuver and sustainment operations at extended ranges simultaneously into unprepared, complex terrain locations under extreme environmental conditions, 24/7; and overcoming enemy anti-access strategies from land and sea bases as part of joint expeditionary operations.  

The CDA is part of the overall multi-year (FY05-07) JHL Concept Refinement effort. It is primarily focused on supporting the joint requirements definition process. The CDA is the technical pillar of activity designed to inform the joint requirements analysis with credible rotorcraft design concepts and performance projections that can reasonably be matured to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 by 2012.  

The five CDA awards, made under the Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) W911W6-05-R-0004, are for the conceptual/preliminary design of a baseline aircraft, and specific design excursions, to identify the impact of variations in payload, range, environmental conditions, and shipboard compatibility on aircraft size, performance, operational suitability, cost, schedule, and development risk.  

The baseline design specification is to maneuver an FCS/Stryker/LAV Vehicle over a 250 nautical mile (nm) radius, under 4000 foot density altitude and 950 Fahrenheit (4k95) conditions, from/to land or sea bases and operating areas. Eight specific excursions to these conditions will also be investigated that include lighter and heavier cargo (16 - 26 tons), shorter and longer mission radii (210 - 500 nm), more extreme environmental conditions (6k95), and full compatibility with a future ship. These design variations populate the desired trade space in the joint requirements process.  

The five concept vehicles chosen for this effort, listed in order of their design cruise speeds, are: (1) Sikorsky X2C, X2 Technology Crane - coaxial rotor (165 knots); (2) Boeing ATRH, Advanced Tandem Rotor Helicopter (165 knots); (3) Sikorsky X2HSL, X2 Technology High Speed Lifter - advancing blade compound (245 knots); (4) Bell Boeing QTR, Quad Tilt Rotor (275 knots); and (5) Frontier Aircraft OSTR, Optimum Speed Tilt Rotor (310 knots).  

These awards are for eighteen months and represent over $30M of Government and Industry contribution. They include the delivery of the designs with substantiating data, a specification document, a technology development strategy, and cost/schedule estimates for a Component and Technology Demonstration phase to achieve TRL 6 in an appropriately large-scale flight vehicle. Award of any future JHL development activity, should it occur, is separate and independent of this BAA .  

The five concept vehicles chosen for this effort, listed in order of their design cruise speeds, are:  

--Sikorsky X2C, X2 Technology Crane - coaxial rotor (165 knots);  
--Boeing ATRH, Advanced Tandem Rotor Helicopter (165 knots);  
--Sikorsky X2HSL, X2 Technology High Speed Lifter - advancing blade compound (245 knots);  
--Bell Boeing QTR, Quad Tilt Rotor (275 knots); and  
--Frontier Aircraft OSTR, Optimum Speed Tilt Rotor (310 knots).  

These awards are for eighteen months and represent over $30M of Government and Industry contribution. They include the delivery of the designs with substantiating data, a specification document, a technology development strategy, and cost/schedule estimates for a Component and Technology Demonstration phase to achieve TRL 6 in an appropriately large-scale flight vehicle. Award of any future JHL development activity, should it occur, is separate and independent of this BAA.  

-ends-  

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?session=dae.4308111.1089903978.QPadasOa9dUAAESlMZk&modele=jdc_34


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## Kirkhill (19 Sep 2005)

http://www.vtol.org/pdf/hirschspring02.pdf
http://www.sikorsky.com/details/0,3036,CLI1_DIV69_ETI2088,00.html

Some related links.


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## a_majoor (16 Oct 2005)

Sometimes the art of the possible takes a long time to catch up with the visionaries. I recall reading that Mikhail Tukhachevsky had ideas to extend the "Deep Battle" concept by attaching wings and control surfaces to tanks so they could be towed behind airplanes and glide to the DZ in support of massed parachute landings. This is the person who was demonstrating battalion sized parachute drops on military exercises in the early 1930s, so he certainly wasn't shy about advanced concepts.

On the other hand, what we need more of right now is the ability to infiltrate small teams almost anywhere on earth, which might be a bit difficult with jumbo sized helicopters.....


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## Good2Golf (19 Oct 2005)

a_majoor said:
			
		

> Sometimes the art of the possible takes a long time to catch up with the visionaries. I recall reading that Mikhail Tukhachevsky had ideas to extend the "Deep Battle" concept by attaching wings and control surfaces to tanks so they could be towed behind airplanes and glide to the DZ in support of massed parachute landings. This is the person who was demonstrating battalion sized parachute drops on military exercises in the early 1930s, so he certainly wasn't shy about advanced concepts.
> 
> On the other hand, what we need more of right now is the ability to infiltrate small teams almost anywhere on earth, which might be a bit difficult with jumbo sized helicopters.....



a_majoor, funnsy you should mention that...an MH-6 Little Bird is #2 on my "want to fly" wish list... 8)

Cheers,
Duey


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## Emperor Jay (1 Nov 2005)

I'm not sure this aircraft fits the current lift needs.  Bear in mind that the heavier the lift capacity, the greater the engine size and therefore the greater the operating cost.  If the army's lift requirements don't exceed the abilities of a chinook, there's no need to look for anything larger, that's why canada never replicated the Mi-26


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## Dissident (1 Nov 2005)

No expert here, but:

Considering the devellopement time of a new aircraft and the aquisition time of equipment from DND:
Even if we get chinooks again in the next couple of years, by the time this new type of helicopter comes around, the chinook will be ready to retire. So no reason to skip on the medium/heavy lift at this moment

My 2 cents.


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## Good2Golf (1 Nov 2005)

Dissident said:
			
		

> No expert here, but:
> 
> Considering the devellopement time of a new aircraft and the aquisition time of equipment from DND:
> Even if we get chinooks again in the next couple of years, by the time this new type of helicopter comes around, the chinook will be ready to retire. So no reason to skip on the medium/heavy lift at this moment
> ...



Dissident, are you saying the Chinook will retire in the 2007/2008 timeframe, hence we shouldn't consider them?  ???

US Army plans are for an ELE of 2025-2030. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/ch-47f-ich.htm  The Hook will be around for a long, long time.

Cheers,
Duey


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## Dissident (2 Nov 2005)

No, I meant the exact opposite. Get the Chinook now, it will be ready to retire when the next helicopter gets into production.


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## Good2Golf (2 Nov 2005)

Dissident said:
			
		

> No, I meant the exact opposite. Get the Chinook now, it will be ready to retire when the next helicopter gets into production.



Seen....as in get Hook now, and JTR (Joint Transport Rotorcraft - US Army, USMC combined future requirement) will arrive at about the pre-planned 2025 timeframe, kind-of-thing....?

Cheers,
Duey


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