Certification and delivery deadlines slip to the right for ... · year in 2016. The $1 million aircraft is aimed at mar- ... Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned aerial

44aaAviation International News • February 2010 • www.ainonline.com

SinglesEurocopter Bluecopter

Eurocopter is planning to fly an EC120light single powered by a diesel engine,instead of the usual 504-shp TurbomecaArrius 2F, next year. The Bluecopter namerefers to Eurocopter’s desire to improve theenvironmental performance of its helicopters.

While the EC120 will be a demonstrator,with an expected 40-percent cut in fuelconsumption, it is likely that future Euro-copter light rotorcraft will use this tech-nology. The engines will provide significantadvancements in noise and emissions. Themain challenge is weight, but Formula 1technology could provide the materials tomake the engine lighter. Eurocopter hasrechristened the diesel a “high-compres-sion engine.” The airframer has yet tochoose the engine supplier, but Turbomecais a likely contender.

Mi-34S2 SapsanRussian Helicopters is working on a

turbine version of the Mi-34 light single,the Mi-34S2 Sapsan, to be powered by aTurbomeca Arrius 2F. The company plans toapply for European and U.S. certification.

The Sapsan (Russian for peregrine falcon)can seat five, including the pilot, and isexpected to have a 143-knot max speed,120-knot cruise speed and 460-nm range.

Service ceiling should be 19,600 feet;hover ceilings, in and out of ground effect,will be 12,800 feet and 14,300 feet, respec-tively. Mtow is slated to be 3,200 pounds.

First delivery is pegged for next year’sfourth quarter, but the company will beginproduction only if it receives enoughorders. It plans to manufacture five Sap-sans next year, with a ramp up to 40 peryear in 2016.

The $1 million aircraft is aimed at mar-kets such as Russia, CIS countries, Asia,Africa and Latin America. It will enterEuropean Union and U.S. markets begin-ning in 2016.

Robinson R66 In 2007 Robinson announced its first

turbine helicopter, the Rolls-Royce RR300-powered R66. Three aircraft are currentlyin flight test and Robinson now anticipatescertification in this year’s first half. Thecompany plans to finalize dealer agree-ments, deposit policies and a price for the

R66, believed to be near $1 million, earlythis year and achieve full-rate productionnext year. Company founder Frank Robin-son thinks that R66 production couldeventually reach 150 to 200 annually.

The R66 is bigger than the piston-pow-ered R44 on which it is loosely based. Itsluggage bay is large enough for golf clubs.There is one extra seat in back, the pilotseats are wider and legroom is capacious,and the overall cabin is eight inches widerthan that of the R44. Empty weight is1,270 pounds and the useful load comes inat 1,300 pounds, 300 pounds more than an

R44. However, due to the RR300’s 23-gphfuel burn, the R66 carries 75 gallons offuel, while the R44, which burns 15 gph,carries 47 gallons.

Initially, all major R66 components,including the engine, will have a TBO of2,000 hours, although that is likely to beextended over time to perhaps 2,200hours. The RR300 weighs about one-thirdof the Lycoming IO-540 that powers theR44 and produces 225 shp (continuous).Forward speed on the R66 increasesslightly to 117 knots and the service ceil-ing increases to 14,000 feet.

The R66 will have hydro-pneumaticengine controls as opposed to Fadec, andthe traditional “six-pack” steam gaugesinstead of an integrated glass cockpit dis-play. The R66’s main rotor chord is slightlywider than the R44’s, but the diameter isthe same. Its fuel system meets new andmore stringent crashworthiness standards.The R66 features the same T-bar cyclic asthat in the R44 and is designed for easypilot transition from the R44.

RotorWay Eagle 300T Kit helicopter company RotorWay

launched a new to-be-certified designaimed primarily at the training market inJuly 2009, but the company’s plan to havea non-conforming prototype ready to flyby early this year appears to have beendelayed. RotorWay now hopes to have ahelicopter airborne by the middle of thisyear and certification by the end of next yearso customer deliveries can begin in 2012. Itshould be noted, however, that RotorWayhas never before produced an FAA-certi-fied aircraft, suggesting that this timetablemight be optimistic. CEO Grant Norwitzsaid the new helicopter will be priced “lessthan an R66.” The company is currentlytaking $5,000 deposits on the helicopter.

The Eagle will be powered by a Rolls-Royce RR300B1 turbine that is similar–butnot identical–to the engine used on the

Certification and delivery deadlinesslip to the right for new helicoptersby Thierry Dubois and Mark Huber

Both product support and research anddevelopment have taken hits in the helicopterindustry as cash flow and current salesshrink, while future orders are clouded byimportant changes and growing uncertaintyin key customer sectors.

In helicopter EMS (HEMS), stricter patienttransport protocols in some markets havesignificantly reduced flight operations, andnew FAA Part 135 rules governing HEMS willinclude equipment mandates that are expectedto drive up costs, perhaps resulting in addi-tional operator and program consolidations.

Offshore operators have seen oil pricesnearly halved from record highs of $145.29per barrel on July 3, 2008, while natural gasprices have plunged even more precipitously.Collapsing property and other tax revenueshave strained governmental budgets, particu-larly at the state and municipal levels, and theoverall economy has crimped air-tour andcharter operators.

Certification programs for new helicopterscontinue to move to the right as tighterrevenues stretch development timetables. Thedegrees of delay vary considerably and some,such as those for the Bell/Agusta 609 tiltrotor,are not completely related to the macro econ-omy. Bell achieved certification for its 429 lastyear and has begun amping up deliveries. Cer-tification of more new models, including theSikorsky S-76D and S-434 and the RobinsonR66, is likely this year, but that milestone orig-inally was expected last year or even earlier.

The good news is that these new helicop-ters offer buyers significant improvements inoperating economics as well as upgradedavionics, engines and rotor blades. Mean-while, OEMs are attempting to hold the lineon prices at least partially while boostingmargins, through aggressive global out-sourcing of major components, and in somecases whole airframes, for new and legacyaircraft from manufacturing partners inChina, Eastern Europe, India, Mexico andTurkey. Here are the latest new helicopterprogram developments. n

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R66. Preliminary specifications for the2,050-pound two-seater include a 1,100-pound useful load, 500-pound externalload, 110-knot maximum cruise speed and13,000-foot ceiling. The Eagle will carry80 gallons of fuel, for two hours endurancewith a 30-minute reserve.

Sikorsky S-434 The first S-434 flew in December 2008.

Sikorsky received an initial order for nine434s from the Saudi Arabian Ministry ofInterior and had delivered two of thosehelicopters by the end of last year. FAAcertification for the 434 is expected laterthis year.

The 434 is a derivative of the Sikorsky-Schweizer 333 and incorporates severalsystem components developed with NorthropGrumman for the Navy’s MQ-8B FireScout vertical takeoff and landing tacticalunmanned aerial vehicle. The chief differ-ence between the 333 and the 434 is thelatter’s four-blade main rotor, which reducesnoise, improves lift and increases mtowand useful load when combined with amore powerful Rolls-Royce 250-C20Wengine (320 shp for takeoff). The usefulload of the 434 increases by 655 pounds, to1,855, compared with that of the 333. The434 also has a larger, 84-gallon fuel tank.This makes the 434 a stronger-performinghot-and-high and utility helicopter suitablefor a variety of missions, including train-ing, patrol and sling-load operations. Priceis expected to approach $1 million. Sikorskywill continue to produce the 333.

TwinsAgustaWestland AW109S Da Vinci

AgustaWestland has begun delivering atailored version of the AW109S Grand toSwiss air rescue organization Rega. The DaVinci, the result of a set of specificationsissued by Rega to replace its A109 K2s, isthus not offered to other customers.

The cockpit is new and includes a dualduplex four-axis digital automatic flightcontrol system, a 3-D synthetic vision and

terrain awareness and warning system(Taws), a Euronav V digital map and aMax-Viz EVS-1000 enhanced vision sys-tem (EVS). The cockpit is equipped forsingle-pilot VFR operations and is compat-ible with night-vision goggles.

The Da Vinci helicopter delivers morepower through the main transmission withone engine out and has an aerodynamicallycleaner rotor system. This contributes to anincreased rate of climb and more speed,both of which are important for Rega’soperations in the Alps. Rega and Aerolitedeveloped a special EMS interior.

Thanks to its fixed landing gear, the

aircraft is thought to be more than 200pounds lighter than the standard Grand, butAgustaWestland would not confirm this.

HAL DhruvThe Dhruv advanced light helicopter

(ALH) by India’s state-owned aeronauticaland defence company Hindustan Aeronau-tics (HAL) is a multi-role, multi-missionnew-generation helicopter in the 5.5-tonweight class. It is powered by two 990-shpTurbomeca TM333-2B2 turboshafts thathave sufficient margins to provide single-engine performance and Category Atakeoff and landing capability.

The Dhruv is two-thirds composite byweight for resistance to corrosion, longerlife, ease of repair and crashworthiness.

The helicopter is designed to meet therequirements of both civil and militaryoperators. Company sources told AIN thatHAL is able to offer any variant of Dhruvfor civil use, and it builds these commer-cial helicopters to order. HAL has so fardelivered 90 utility versions of the ALH todefense forces and civilian agencies. Pricesvary according to modifications.

The current production rate of theDhruv is between 20 and 24 per year. Thecompany intends to obtain EASA certifica-tion for the Dhruv. It is also working on anew version that will have a glass cockpitand more powerful engines.

Eurocopter EC175Eurocopter’s EC175 medium twin

made its first flight on Dec. 4, 2009. It istargeted at the offshore oil and gas market,which accounts for most of the 114helicopters currently on order. EASA cer-tification is pegged for the second half ofnext year, with first delivery planned for

the second half of 2012. The lag betweencertification and delivery stems from thehigh number of options (40 to 45)–each ofwhich needs to be certified–on this firstaircraft, according to Eurocopter.

The cruise speed is understood to beapproximately 140 knots. The radius ofaction offshore at ISA+20, with 16 passen-gers, will be 270 nm. Maximum range,with “very few” passengers, will be 700nm. The EC175 is a seven-metric-ton-class(15,000-pound-class) helicopter. Two Pratt& Whitney Canada PT6C-67E turboshaftswill supply 1,775 shp each.

The EC175 is a 50-50 joint programwith China’s Avicopter, which calls it theZ15. Avicopter is responsible for the air-frame, including flight controls. It is alsodeveloping the tail-rotor transmission andthe fuel system and is responsible for someequipment integration–the landing gearand the engine. Finally, Avicopter buildsthe main rotor. Eurocopter’s share consistsof the main gearbox, the tail rotor, doors,electric systems and the avionics suite,including autopilot.

The two firms have invested a total U600million in a “common standard vehicle.”From there, they will offer two different setsof options and the helicopter will undergotwo different certification processes throughthe EASA and the CAAC.

Kamov Ka-226TRussian Helicopters is flight testing a

Kamov Ka-226 light twin powered byTurbomeca Arrius 2Gs. Known as the Ka-226T, it is the first coaxial-rotor helicop-ter to be fitted with Turbomeca turboshafts,which raise its operating ceiling to 24,600feet. Production is expected to start nextyear. The manufacturer is touting the per-formance of the Ka-226T “in mountainousterrain and hot climates, over water, inwindy conditions and in urban high-riseoperations.” The Ka-226T has an mtow of8,800 pounds and a payload of 3,200pounds. It can carry nine people, includingtwo pilots. Maximum speed is 124 knots.With 10-minute emergency reserves,endurance is 3.3 hours and range is 283 nm.

Instead of a conventional cabin, the Ka-226 can be outfitted with different cabinmodules depending on the mission–pas-senger transport, patrol, construction,EMS, firefighting or search-and-rescue.

Sikorsky S-76D The latest variant of this now 34-year-

old airframe was announced in 2005 andmight receive FAA certification approvallater this year. The S-76D first flew onFebruary 7 last year. Currently three air-craft are in the flight-test program and thefirst production airframe was assembled inDecember at Aero Vodochody in the CzechRepublic. The airframe will be shipped toSikorsky-Coatesville in April for finalassembly. Customer deliveries are slated tobegin next year, and Sikorsky claims 100“delivery position agreements” for the $12million helicopter. Falcon Air Services ofAbu Dhabi will be the launch customer forthe S-76D.

While the S-76 airframe remainslargely unchanged, the -D has significantupgrades in rotors, engines, avionics and

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46aaAviation International News • February 2010 • www.ainonline.com

cabin comfort. It features new composite,flaw-tolerant main rotor blades and elec-tric rotorcraft icing protection, dual-speedmain rotor with active vibration controland quiet mode, a marginally quieter tailrotor, a health and usage monitoring sys-tem, digital four-axis autopilot and aglass cockpit that includes integrated dig-ital maps. The -D will be powered by twoFadec Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210Sengines, each producing 1,050 shp.

The modular PW210S promises to sim-plify maintenance as it has just five majorrotating components and a combinationreduction and engine accessory gearbox.The new engine/composite main rotorcombination will give the S-76D up to1,000 pounds more lifting capacity in hotand high conditions and increase range by50 miles compared with the S-76C+.

The Thales TopDeck avionics suitedeveloped for the -D features four six- byeight-inch LCD displays that provideflight, engine, caution and warning, sys-tems status, checklists and mission data.The two outboard screens are PFDs andthe inboards are MFDs. Data and symbol-ogy are automatically transferred to theMFD in the event of a PFD failure. Thedisplays are NVG compatible. The track-ball cursor control device allows control ofavionics via virtual control panels on thecockpit displays and interfaces with the FMSthrough the cockpit displayed map, ratherthan the conventional keyboard. This enablesthe system to dynamically build flightplans and provide easy access to otherinformation, including Jeppesen chartsthat can be loaded onto the system viaflash memory cards.

The -D will incorporate the sameSilencer noise-dampening cabin architec-ture used on the -C++. Two main executivelayouts will be available for five to sixpassengers as well as a utility configurationthat can accommodate up to 12.

Urban Aeronautics X-HawkIsrael-based Urban Aeronautics is fly-

ing its Turbomeca Arriel 1D1-poweredMule UAV. As of mid-December, thecompany had performed only low hoverswith safety wires, according to companyCEO Rafi Yoeli. The Mule is the demon-strator for Urban Aero’s concept of anaircraft featuring two shrouded mainrotors in tandem configuration.

The company is eyeing a full-size, 11-passenger version–the X-Hawk. Onthe demonstrator, each of the two six-foot-diameter lift rotors has five blades.The two rotors are located fore and aft of the cabin. Two smaller shrouded rotors actas thrusters. The architecture, with itsshrouded rotors, enables the aircraft to fly in a city without the dangers usuallyassociated with open rotors. Its maindrawback is fuel burn, much higher thanthat of a helicopter.

Tiltrotor and Compound HelicoptersBell/AgustaWestland BA609 Civil Tiltrotor

Now entering its 12th year of develop-ment, the Bell/Agusta BA609 programappears to be headed for divorce court. Fornearly three years AgustaWestland CEOGiuseppe Orzi has made no secret that heis displeased with the glacial pace of the609’s development and it now appears thatnegotiations are taking place that wouldeither give AW a majority interest in, oroutright ownership of, the program. Nei-ther AW nor Bell will formally commenton the status of these negotiations, but lastyear Orzi told an Italian business confer-ence that AW’s parent, Finmeccanica, hadauthorized him to negotiate for control ofthe program as a means to acceleratedevelopment and certification. Even underthe most ideal outlook, airworthinessapproval is unlikely until at least 2014.

The 609 first flew in 2003, and only twoprototypes are flying–one at Bell in Texasand the other at AW in Cameri, Italy. Twomore prototypes scheduled to join the testprogram for several years now have yet tomaterialize. However, in December an AWspokesman told AIN that both aircraft areunder construction at Cameri and will jointhe test program in 2011 and 2012. Thenumber-three tiltrotor will be used for icetrials and hot and cold environmental test-ing, while number four will be dedicated toavionics and communications validation,night flight and customer demonstrations.

However, commercial interest in theprogram has waned as development dead-lines repeatedly slipped and the unit price

of the 609 has climbed from an estimated$8 million to $10 million in 1998 to morethan $29 million today, making it consider-ably more expensive than the 19-seatSikorsky S-92A or AgustaWestland’s ownthree-engine AW101. But AW is believedto be pursuing a large order for the 609from the Italian government for up to 50 ofthe aircraft configured for coastal patroland search-and-rescue. Officially, ordersfor the 609 stand at 77, but the status ofmany of those is tenuous at best. Two yearsago some order holders told AIN that theycould not justify continued interest in the609 at a price near or above $20 million.

Yet, the twin P&WC PT6-67A-powered609 would seem ideally suited for a lessprice sensitive, government-backed over-water SAR role. The Bell/Agusta 609 hasan mtow of 16,800 pounds. Preliminarydata indicates the aircraft has an unrefueledrange of 700 nm (boosted to 950 nm withauxiliary fuel tanks), a cruise speed of 275knots (maximum forward speed 310 knots)and a service ceiling of 25,000 feet. In util-ity configuration it could carry up to 12passengers plus crew.

Despite its tortuous development his-tory, Pier Guargualini, CEO of AW parentFinmeccanica, sees a big future for the609, last summer predicting demand for up to 500 aircraft during its first decade of production.

Sikorsky X2 Compound Coaxial Technology Demonstrator

The X2 first flew in 2008, but 2009came and went without its achieving Sikor-sky’s stated goal of beating the world

helicopter speed record of 216 knots/249mph (held since August 1986 by the West-land Lynx).

Sikorsky announced the self-financedX2 in 2005. The compound coaxial heli-copter features fly-by-wire flight controlsand combines components from existingSikorsky aircraft, including the S-76,Black Hawk and CH-53, and other manu-facturers’ aircraft. All of the componentswere scrutinized for their ability toenhance the X2’s mission of high forwardspeed and low vibration.

Power for the 6,500-pound X2 comesfrom a single LHTec (Light HelicopterTurbine Engine Company) T800 tur-boshaft rated at up to 1,680 shp. Sikorskyhad previously flown the LHTec engineon the RH-66 Comanche scout and attackhelicopter prototype developed for theArmy. That program was canceled in2004 after expenditures of $6.9 billionand 20 years of development. LHTec hasdeveloped a successful civilian variant ofthe T800, the CTS800. (Ironically, thesame modified Westland Lynx that set the current world speed record in 1986served as a testbed for the CTS800.) The T800 drives the twin four-bladeEagle Aviation contra-rotating rigid mainrotors and the Aero Composites six-bladepusher propeller, or auxiliary propulsionsystem, mounted at the end of the tail-boom. Sikorsky claims its X2 technologyis suitable for military missions such asassault, armed reconnaissance, close airsupport and combat search-and-rescue,and unmanned applications.

One way Sikorsky might cash in on theX2 was revealed in May last year, when itdisplayed a mock-up of a possible X2 mili-tary light tactical helicopter (LTH) designat the Army Aviation Association of Amer-ica annual convention. The LTH mockupwas widely seen as a precursor to a poten-tial Sikorsky bid for the Army’s armedscout helicopter program.

However, Sikorsky would face substan-tial competition for the contract from bothBoeing and an EADS-Lockheed Martinpartnership. Both are offering solutionsfeaturing commercial, off-the-shelf air-frames that, while slower, likely presentless technical risk and lower unit costs. o

Anand and Madhura Katti contributed tothis report.

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Urban Aeronautics X-Hawk

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Sikorsky X2 compound coaxial technology demonstrator

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