Looking forward
With an economy in the early stages of what seems to be a slow recovery it is encouraging to learn that rotorcraft programs are bouncing back. The Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) is back in the news. The Presidential helicopter program is in the news. And quietly leading the way are several “optionally piloted” aircraft programs.
Optionally Piloted Rotorcraft
Optionally piloted? Maybe, remotely piloted would be a better term. Someone, somewhere is going to be flying whatever version of a rotorcraft it is that makes the grade with this endeavor. All the major OEM players are in the game on this project, one that has a huge upside going forward. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one Major General of the U.S. Army commented, “The bean counters are drooling over this technology. The cost savings are huge, the safety factor is huge, and we can deploy dozens of these for the cost of a single aircraft”. I guess that would depend on which version of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) we are talking about. The cost savings are real and proven. The unique component of these projects is that they are being run with aircraft that have already been developed. Bypassing the years and costs of a full development program. Although it is customary for research projects to be kept “quiet”, recently a few of the players have made public some groundbreaking achievements. A team of Lockheed and Kaman Aerospace recently released the details of their remotely piloted K-MaxÒ concept. Controlled remotely from 125 miles from the landing zone, a K-MaxÒ delivered a sling load of supplies and placed the load upon an egg in the center of a target circle. Impressive, if not amazing. This project, and others much like it, clearly demonstrates that this concept is valid. The ability to deliver supplies, ammunition, parts and pieces in high-risk environments, without risking an aircrew as well is huge. I expect we will soon learn of a “live” demonstration of these abilities, in theater. Stay tuned.
Things Presidential
New life has been brought to the VXX project. After years of record-breaking cost overruns the VH-71 was shelved shortly after the Obama administration took office. While the history of this program is long and storied, it looks like the powers that be have decided it is time to revisit the issue and get the President a new ride. I agree. The President of the United States has been riding around in the H-3 variant for over 30 years; it’s well time for an upgrade. Unfortunately this program is much more complicated than it ever needed to be. Being “inclusive” and “supporting the global economy” is certainly a nice way to help out our foreign neighbors, but this is the President’s helicopter we are talking about. It should be of American design and manufacture. Sikorsky plans to reintroduce its S-92Ò Superhawk, and it looks like Bell may present a Presidential variant of the V-22 Tiltrotor. Hopefully this time out the competition will not be too long or drawn out.
In this Issue
This is the first edition of RPM with our new design. Making such a profound change to our magazine has been quite an undertaking, but we think you’ll like what you find. A larger presentation, new design, and more feature stories are just a few of the improvements we have made. Change is good, we hope you like the “new” Rotorcraft Pro.
All the Best,
Ron