Both Sikorsky and Bell would like to produce the next-gen Black Hawk helicopter for the Army. Bell's V-280 represents some fascinating engineering.
. The Osprey program, he says, had to define “a radically different way of going about vertical flight.”
“Early in the program, yes, they did have crashes; they did have safety challenges,” Birkey says. “There was an incredibly thorough scrub done on it.” The aircraft being used operationally today, he adds, “is a very safe aircraft—understanding that you fly in some of the most demanding conditions around.”
Plus, there are additional ways of thinking about safety; speed is a way to avoid danger when dealing with hostile fire. “I would actually say the Osprey in a combat environment is probably safer than other vertical lift options,” he says. In fact, both Bell and Sikorsky tout the speed of their aircraft candidates. “Low and slow is really dangerous,” Birkey adds.
Bell also touts another safety feature of the V-280. If it were to crash or land hard, “the wing and the nacelles—which is the engines, and the gear boxes, and the rotors—all that’s designed to break and shed away from the cabin,” says Ehinger. He compares that to more traditional helicopters, which have all the heft of those dynamic components right above the crew and passengers.
Plus, compared to traditional helicopters or even the Defiant X, there’s no tail rotor or tail propeller in the back, which can be aUltimately, Grove, the test pilot, says that there’s a sizable difference between the Osprey and the next-gen craft that could be the Army’s future Black Hawk vehicle. “The V-22 is more like a truck,” he says. “The V-280 is more like a sports car.”This article was originally published on March 19, 2021.Rob Verger is the Technology Editor at Popular Science.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Check out the double-rotor helicopter that could be the US Army’s next Black HawkTwo aircraft are competing to be the Army’s next Black-Hawk-type helicopter. Here’s what we know about one of them.
Read more »
17 Black Platform Boots For 2022's Gothcore TrendGothcore is on the rise as one of the biggest Y2K-adjacent trends, and black platform boots are becoming a wardrobe essential for the aesthetic.
Read more »
Governor pardons Plessy, Black man central to landmark 'separate but equal' rulingLouisiana's governor posthumously pardons Homer Plessy, the Black man whose arrest for refusing to leave a whites-only railroad car in 1892 sparked the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cemented “separate but equal” into law for half a century.
Read more »
Black Widow and Scarlett Johansson Get Oscars Push From DisneyDisney has officially launched its 'For Your Consideration' campaigns for movies and television [...]
Read more »
4 acquitted in toppling of slave trader statue during Black Lives Matter protestAnti-racism protesters were acquitted Wednesday after being charged with throwing a statue of Edward Colston into Bristol Harbor.
Read more »
Black + Decker’s $300 Bev vacuums up a Keurig-shaped hole in the robot bartender spaceJust add five liquor bottles and your pods of choice
Read more »