http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/61185
X2準備試飛更高速度
2010-08-11

【據英國《飛行國際》2010年7月19日報導】  西科斯基公司總裁Jeff Pino稱，公司已經批准X2技術驗證機飛行小組繼續飛行試驗，將飛行速度提升至200 kt（節）（370 km/h）以上。
　　X2試飛員Kevin Bredenbeck在該專案第三階段試飛結束時表示，應提高X2的俯仰穩定性。第三階段試飛於5月25日結束，飛行速度達到了181 kt。
　　在第三階段的試飛中，工程師們還成功地在飛行中將主旋翼轉速降低了5%，以延緩槳尖失速的發生，這也是提高飛行速度的另一個關鍵性技術。
　　為提高X2的俯仰穩定性，工程師們將垂直安定面的面積提高了0.46 m2，並進行了另一次試飛來驗證其效果。
　　Pino表示，該專案的關鍵性目標——巡航速度達到250 kt——將在飛行試驗開始後的3、4次飛行中達到。
　　Pino還表示，X2的涵道風扇的雜訊水準很值得欣慰，客戶們在看過了X2的試飛後都覺得很滿意。
　　西科斯基公司計畫用X2競標陸軍的武裝偵察機專案。但Pino表示還不準備將X2投入商務市場，其高速飛行時的耗油率過高，還需要進行大量改進工作。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  李昊）

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/07/19/344679/farnborough-sikorsky-x2-cleared-for-sprint-to-250kt.html
DATE:19/07/10
SOURCE:Flight Daily News
FARNBOROUGH: Sikorsky X2 cleared for sprint to 250kt
By John Croft
 
Sikorsky president Jeff Pino says the company has cleared the X2 technology demonstrator flight team to proceed with flight tests that are likely to see the counter-rotating coaxial rotor pusher exceed 200kt (370km/h) airspeed and beyond in the very near future.

Pino told Flight Daily News that X2 test pilot Kevin Bredenbeck had requested additional pitch stability at the conclusion of phase three of the programme, which culminated in an 181kt speed during aircraft's twelfth test flight on 25 May.

During that flight, engineers also successfully tested slowing the X2's main rotors by 5% to prevent tip speeds from approaching Mach 1, a key process for pushing speeds higher.

 
 © Sikorsky

For added pitch stability, Pino says engineers increased the vertical stabiliser area by about 0.46m2 (5ft2). "We flew another flight to validate that work," says Pino. "Now we're cleared to go over 200kt." The company earlier added 0.28m2 of area to each of the outboard vertical end plates for additional yaw stability.

Pino says a key goal for the project, reaching a cruise speed of 250kt, is within "three or four flights" once the X2 returns to flight, likely in the "next few weeks" as the final phase of flight-testing begins.

Pino says the company is happy with the noise signature of LHTEC T800-powered fly-by-wire pusher as well, comparing the sound to that of a Eurocopter EC135. "When we showed it, our customers said, 'Wow, that is pretty quiet,' says Pino. "We won't say what customers."

Aside from offering the concept as candidate for the US Army's armed aerial scout programme, an idea Pino says is "still a bit of a long putt for the X2 demonstrator", Pino says Sikorsky is not "trying to place" the aircraft. Of the commercial market, he says "it takes a lot of gas" to go that fast. "We've got to do a lot more evaluation," says Pino.

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/60297
俄羅斯直升機公司正在開發一系列新一代無人旋翼機
2010-07-05

【據英國《SHEPHARD集團》網站2010年6月30日報導】  在第四屆無人多用途系統論壇及展覽會（UVS-TECH 2010）上，俄羅斯直升機公司展示了兩型無人直升機概念機，Korshun和Ka-135.
　　這兩型機是俄羅斯直升機公司正在進行的垂直起降無人機研製項目的一部分，該專案分為三個不同分支：大航程（超過400km），中等航程（100-400km），小航程（100km以下）。
　　Korshun中等航程無人直升機起飛重量約為500kg，航程300km，有效載荷150kg，最大飛行速度170km/h。
　　Ka-135是俄羅斯直升機公司首個小航程型號，該機採用共軸反轉雙旋翼構型，活塞發動機驅動，三點式起落架，最大起飛重量300kg，作戰半徑據稱有100km，有效載荷100kg，最大飛行速度170km/h。
　　這兩型無人直升機均為多用途型，可搭載多種任務設備。該機可用於環境監控、航空巡邏及安保、貨物運輸、生態監控、氣象任務，以及為難以到達的區域提供通信保障等。
　　俄羅斯直升機公司計畫設計一系列多用途無人機系統，以滿足作戰使用的各種需求。公司的無人機系統專案主管Gennady Bebeshko說，公司的輕型有人直升機平臺，如Mi-34、Ka-226、Patrol Ansat Aktai等均可成為無人旋翼機開發的基礎平臺。目前，俄羅斯直升機公司正在自費進行無人機自動控制系統的研發工作。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  李昊）

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/60292
美國陸軍瞄準增強有人－無人綜合技術
2010-07-05

【據美國《航宇日報》2010年6月30日報導】  布魯塞爾－美國陸軍計畫提升無人機與直升機和地面人員的綜合等級。陸軍無人機專案辦公司通用系統綜合產品主管Lt. Col.詹尼弗.延森表示，下一步將無人機與戰鬥人員更緊密連系在一起的行動之一是升級特克斯特隆（Textron）AAI公司的影子200無人機，允許地面人員使用單一系統遠端視頻終端（OSRVT）進行載荷控制。影子無人機操作員保留飛機的控制權。升級措施將能夠在18個月就緒。地面站已經適應任務需求，但飛機仍需要處理器升級。
　　其他無人機，比如通用原子公司的天空勇士，同樣被考慮進行此能力升級。而且，陸軍正在對醫療後送直升機隊改裝，使之能夠接收機上圖像。關於CH-47支奴幹直升機的討論已經開始，儘管尚沒有正式報導將開始升級。陸軍特種行動部門也可能開展此嘗試，使其餘服務可以利用。明年，AH-64D阿帕奇將能夠既接收感測器資料又控制無人機載荷，作為第三階段升級。同時，陸軍希望OSRVT作為正式記錄專案，延森在Shephard Group無人機會議上表示。超過3000套系統已經部署，但行動將保證長期支持。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  朱家強）

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/60222
俄羅斯研製無人駕駛偵察直升機
2010-07-01

【據俄羅斯《航空港》網站2010年6月29日報導】  “俄羅斯直升機”控股公司研製出新型無人駕駛直升機。新研製的卡－135和“老鷹”可以用於偵察。

“俄羅斯直升機”股份公司將在6月30日開幕的UVS-TECH2010無人駕駛多用途系統國際展和國際論壇上展出這兩種無人駕駛直升機的模型。

“俄羅斯直升機”股份公司無人機項目經理根納季•別什科對外宣佈，我們將展出這兩種新一代直升機型無人機的模型，這兩種新一代直升機型無人機是在創新形式下研製的。這兩款無人駕駛直升機為卡－135和“老鷹”，均為兩用型。

其中，“老鷹”無人駕駛直升機將以偵察型、攻擊型和運輸型向強力部門推介，並將作為解決特種任務－遂行電子對抗、化學、生物和輻射偵察無人機向強力部門推介。

“老鷹”屬於中程無人機，其活動半徑將達300千米。最大起飛重量大約500千克，不算燃料的有效載荷品質為150千克。可在偵察區域工作3小時。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  王新宇）

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/59878
DARPA啟動可變形狀旋翼系統研製專案
2010-06-18
 

[據美國《航空週刊與空間技術》2010年6月7日報導]在被忽視了多年之後，美國的旋翼機技術又將出現在國防部的研究專案中，該項目是研製一種可變形的旋翼系統，以顯著提高有效載荷和航程，並降低雜訊和振動。

國防高級研究計畫局（DARPA）將該專案命名為任務適應旋翼(MAR)，已向3個波音、西科斯基和貝爾/波音傾轉旋翼機小組授予了為期16個月的初始階段研製合同，以評估適應旋翼技術的範圍，並研究一種全新的“目標”旋翼系統和一套可在現有平臺上使用的驗證旋翼的設計方案。

DARPA MAR專案經理Daniel Newman說：“該旋翼系統的幾乎所有參數均可變，包括扭轉角、翼型、弦長、硬度、轉速等。”

Newman表示，目前這一代的美國軍用直升機旋翼系統的設計已經沒有太多的餘度。而MAR是一種全新的旋翼，將有更大的自由度。

MAR的目標是設計一種可以在執行任務前及飛行中改變幾何構型的旋翼，使旋翼可適應更廣泛的飛行情況。

MAR的槳葉可以改變其長度、後掠角、弦長、撓度、槳尖形狀、扭轉角、剛度、轉速及其他參數。Newman稱這項技術可適用於任何旋翼系統，包括傾轉旋翼、尾槳、推進器及渦輪機。

目前工業界還沒有公開MAR的研發情況，但西科斯基用iPhone舉例，說MAR將使飛行員只需要觸摸駕駛艙顯示幕的按鍵就可以選擇低雜訊、高機動性、平穩飛行或其他模式。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  李昊）

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/jsp_includes/articlePrint.jsp?storyID=news/awst/2010/06/07/AW_06_07_2010_p24-231440.xml&headLine=Darpa%20Sets%20Goals%20For%20Morphing-Rotor%20Demo
Darpa Sets Goals For Morphing-Rotor Demo

By Graham Warwick
Washington
 
 
After years of neglect, U.S. rotorcraft technology is to get a boost from a Pentagon research program that aims to fly a shape-changing rotor offering substantially more payload and range with significantly less noise and vibration.

Three teams have been awarded contracts for the initial phase of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Mission Adaptive Rotor (MAR). Program managers plan to fly an adaptive rotor by 2018 to ready the technology for the next U.S. military rotorcraft program.

Boeing, Sikorsky and the Bell Boeing tiltrotor team have received 16-month Phase 1 contracts to assess a wide range of adaptive rotor technologies and develop designs for both a clean-sheet “objective” rotor system and a demonstrator rotor that can fly on an existing aircraft.

“Adaptation of all blade attributes are on the table: twist, airfoil, chord, stiffness, rpm., etc.,” says Daniel Newman, Darpa’s MAR program manager. “There are many technologies available. It’s not just any one, it’s about developing multiple adaptive technologies that complement each other.”

Newman says rotor design has remained largely unchanged since the current generation of U.S. military helicopters was introduced in the 1960s and 1970s. While it has invested heavily in advancing fighter technology to today’s fifth-generation F-22 and F-35, “the Defense Department has historically underinvested in rotorcraft, which are still at the equivalent of the F-4 Phantom,” he says.

“The challenge has been developing new rotor technology, because most rotors since then have been modifications, and the few all-new designs have been risk-averse. MAR is an all-new, clean-sheet rotor that will be much less constrained.”

The wings of fixed-wing aircraft are far from fixed, with movable flaps and variable camber that enable lift and drag characteristics to be changed in flight. Wings have been built that can vary in area, chord, span or sweep. In contrast, the aerodynamic and geometric characteristics of a rotor blade are fixed during design, and never change.

The goal of MAR is a rotor that can change its configuration before a mission and in flight, between mission segments and with every revolution. “Adaptation for rotorcraft is a huge opportunity because the blades see a wide range of flight conditions,” says Newman. “They can adapt between mission segments and also around the rotor azimuth.”

The blades on an adaptive rotor could change their length, sweep, chord, camber, tip shape, twist, stiffness, rotational speed or other attributes. Newman says adaptive technology will be “available for any rotor,” including tiltrotors, tail rotors, propellers and “rotating turbomachinery.”

Industry teams are keeping their MAR cards close to their chests, but Sikorsky talks illustratively about iPhone-like “apps” that would allow the pilot to select low noise, high agility, smooth flight or other modes at the touch of an icon on a cockpit display.

MAR objectives are aggressive: increase payload by 30% and range by 40%, and reduce rotor acoustic-detection range by 50% and vibration by 90%, compared with a clean-sheet “non-adaptive,” or conventional, rotor. “Darpa’s goal is to achieve all the metrics simultaneously, with the recognition that some combination will be achieved,” says Newman.

Industry supports the initiative. “Many people in government, industry and academia regard active rotor technology research as a major step toward dynamically improved performance and reduced rotor vibration and noise,” says Rhett Flater, executive director of industry advocate AHS International. “[The Defense Department] seeks improved range, speed and payload, as well as safety, survivability and affordability. The MAR program, at least on paper, addresses many of these needs.”

MAR is an outgrowth of Darpa’s Helicopter Quieting Program (HQP), which developed high-fidelity analysis tools to predict rotor acoustics. These were demonstrated in 2008 by correlating the results of analysis and wind-tunnel tests of Boeing’s Smart active-control rotor. The original plan was to have a second phase, but Newman says better acoustics “were desirable, but did not justify investment in new rotor technology.”

In its place, MAR was defined to tackle acoustics, performance and suppor­tability; the program goals are to be achieved without degrading, and hopefully while improving, other rotorcraft metrics such as speed, agility, reliability and shipboard compatibility.

Because the goals are so far-reaching, Newman says, Darpa decided to issue a “broad agency announcement” rather than a request for proposals, which would have required bidders to meet specific requirements. This approach allowed the government “to invest based on the value of each proposal.”

Boeing has been awarded a $3.62-million Phase 1 contract, Bell Boeing $2.86 million, and Sikorsky $5.9 million. Each team has selected a suite of adaptive technologies for its “point of departure” rotor system, but will assess and integrate these and others during Phase 1 to substantiate the benefits of an adaptive rotor, Newman says.

The MAR teams include “multiple small-technology providers, more than will be on the final design,” he says. Alternative approaches will be evaluated, their costs, benefits and risks assessed, and design of the objective rotor system revised based on results. “We stretched Phase 1 to 16 months to allow time for hardware bench tests to mature technologies,” Newman says.

One of the first tasks for the teams will be to adapt the analysis tools developed under HQP. “Every design tool assumes rotor parameters are fixed when it is built and never change. That is invalid [for MAR],” he says. “It is a much more challenging and complex design process.”

At the end of Phase 1, the teams will have established the benefits of adaptation versus a fixed design for a clean-sheet rotor; designed a demonstrator rotor to fly on an existing aircraft; and predicted the benefits of retrofitting an adaptive rotor to today’s rotorcraft. “That is not one of our metrics, but the customers are interested,” says Newman.

So far the U.S. Army, Navy and NASA are participating in the MAR program and providing some funding. The Air Force is “interested,” he says, “and will not be on the sideline.” During Phase 1, the agency plans to sign up services to which the rotor technology will be transitioned at the end of the demonstration program.

“Partnerships would allow us to expand technology development and that would play into competitive prototyping and the industrial base,” says Newman, as additional funding from the services could allow two or three rotors to be flown. “The program should fit well into the Defense Department’s planned Vertical Lift Consortium Initiative to fund research and develop enabling technologies for the next generation of rotorcraft,” says Flater.

Darpa previously studied, with mixed success, a number of advanced rotorcraft configurations such as the Canard Rotor/Wing, Heliplane and DiscRotor, but MAR is different. “This will not be a Darpa rotor. We are not building an asset. We have a single-minded focus on demonstrating the technology in flight, and we expect transition to be immediate,” says Newman.

“We expect the next rotorcraft program, whether it is JMR [Joint Multi-Role] or JFTL [Joint Future Theater Lift], will use this technology,” he says. “If one of these programs is to start in 2025, they need the technology by 2020.”

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/58414
西科斯基公司正在開發可選擇無人駕駛模式的“黑鷹”直升機驗證機
2010-04-23

      [據英國《SHEPHARD集團》2010年4月16日報導]西科斯基公司目前正在與美國陸軍合作研製可選有人駕駛和無人駕駛模式的“黑鷹”直升機驗證機，公司於4月16日在美國陸航協會的年會上宣佈了這一消息。西科斯基公司是聯合技術公司的下屬子公司。

      該專案由西科斯基公司的技術研究機構——西科斯基技術創新部負責。公司計畫今年完成驗證機首飛，並在2015年將該技術投入使用。

      西科斯基科技創新部的主任Chris Van Buiten說：“這項技術可讓指揮官根據任務和戰術情況選擇是否使用飛行員，這將在提高‘黑鷹’直升機飛行任務的情況下極大地降低機組人員的限制。”

      美國陸軍的“黑鷹”直升機超過1740架，總計積累了600萬小時的飛行時間。目前還有27個不同國家/地區在使用著超過3000架的“黑鷹”直升機。

      西科斯基創新部是一個靈活的，聯網的團體，有西科斯基公司的雇員和工業界合作者組成，專注於對解決難度最高的旋翼機問題的新技術方案進行驗證。西科斯基創新部目前的研究範圍十分廣泛，包括X2高速直升機技術、自我感知/自適應系統和可選有人/無人駕駛飛機。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  李昊）

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/58166
AVX公司計畫對OH-58D進行創新性修改
2010-04-15
 

      [據美國《航空週刊與空間技術》網站2010年4月13日報導]  美國新成立的AVX飛機公司最近提議對貝爾公司的OH-58D“基奧瓦勇士”進行升級，換裝共軸式旋翼和涵道風扇，以滿足美國陸軍的“武裝空中偵察兵”（Armed Aerial Scout，AAS）的要求。

　　AVX公司在德克薩斯州沃斯堡舉行的美國陸軍航空協會的例會上公佈了他們的方案，希望能夠說服陸軍對驗證機研製進行資助。AVX公司成立於2005年，主要由原貝爾直升機公司的工程師和管理人員組成。該公司總裁及首席工程師Troy Gaffey原本是貝爾公司的首席工程師和負責研究及工程的首席副總裁。AVX建議將OH-58D的4片槳葉的旋翼、傳動系統、尾梁及尾槳取消，換裝新的傳動系統和短尾梁，以裝備一對涵道風扇。

　　與單旋翼相比，相同直徑及全機重量的共軸式旋翼需用功率少5%左右。另外，共軸式旋翼不需要尾槳平衡反扭距，也可以節約10%的需用功率。

　　Gaffey說，通過這種構型可比單旋翼構型節約15%~20%的需用功率，在不換發的情況下可有效提升OH-58D的高溫-高原性能。

　　可變槳距的涵道風扇由主傳動系統直接驅動，可在懸停狀態下控制方向，在前飛時提供推力。

　　改型過的OH-58D在有地效懸停狀態下最大起飛重量約2.5噸，滿載燃油和武器可在1829米高度、95華氏度的情況下飛行，巡航速度為222 km/h，航程444 km，航時約為3小時。

　　Gaffey稱，他們的OH-58D AVX滿足陸軍在AAS要求中提出的需求，並於3月18日提交了建議書。

　　AVX由私人贊助者支援，已在設計工作上花費了400萬美元，並正在尋求資金以在18個月內製造並試飛一架概念驗證機，稱之為“本質”驗證機，將耗資3000萬美元，可能在商用型貝爾206的基礎上開發。（中國航空工業發展研究中心成果 李昊）

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/57929
美國防部關注更加安全的補給技術和IED探測技術
2010-04-07

      [據美國《防務新聞》網站2010年4月2日報導]美國國防部負責採辦事務的官員Ashton Carter 4月2日在戰略國際研究中心透露，五角大樓正在考慮“幾種不同版本”的無人直升機來為阿富汗部隊提供補給。

　　Carter認為，無人直升機由於不用置人於險境將會是“一種很好的補給供應方式”，這樣還使供給人員（尤其是在偏遠地區執行任務的龐大笨重的護送車隊）不用再走地面道路，從而減低了簡易爆炸裝置（IED）威脅。他表示，國防部長蓋茨也已經將對抗IED提升為優先要務。五角大樓目前正加速交付IED對抗設備給軍隊，其中包括IED探測機器人、掌上型金屬探測器和地面穿透雷達。Carter透露，“未來幾周或幾個月內交付的類似設備總價值將達到數十億美元。”

　　Carter還談到了在伊拉克戰場削減裝備的計畫。他表示，國防部正在計畫關閉在伊拉克部署的350個前線行動基地。相關合同商的數目已經從147 000家減少到了100 000家，並將進一步減至75 000家。各類車輛和飛行器的數量也已經從41 000架減少到了29 000架。所有裝備的總數量也已經從340萬台減至220萬台，並將在8月份前減至100萬台。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  廖孟豪）

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4566100&c=AIR&s=ALL
Carter: DoD Focusing On Safer Resupply Techniques, IED Detection
By ANTONIE BOESSENKOOL
Published: 2 Apr 2010 11:47
The Pentagon is looking at "several different versions" of unmanned helicopters to supply troops in Afghanistan, DoD acquisition chief Ashton Carter told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies April 2.

Unmanned helicopters would be "a wonderful way of resupplying people without anybody taking any risks, at all," Carter said, speaking at a conference on logistics at the Washington think tank. "To the extent that you can keep people off the road - particularly cumbersome supply convoys in outlying areas - you reduce the [improvised explosive device] threat."

Carter said the military is doing far more air drops of food, water and supplies, partly by GPS-controlled parachutes. Mountainous regions and poor roads in Afghanistan have made supplying troops a challenge, Carter acknowledged. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also has made protecting troops against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) a priority, Carter said.

Gates asked Carter "to really focus for these months intensively on making sure that we are doing everything we possibly can as a department in the coming months for this fighting season in Afghanistan to combat IEDs," Carter said. As a result, a number of groups - intelligence organizations, commands in Afghanistan and task forces in the Pentagon - have started to focus on preparing for IEDs in the coming months.

The Pentagon is accelerating the delivery of counter-IED equipment to troops, including robots to detect IEDs, and hand-held metal detectors and ground-penetrating radars worth "several billion dollars over the next weeks and months," he said. "Just by focusing that way, we've been able to do some things that I think are going to be very important as the summer goes on," Carter said.

Although DoD is pushing as many Predator, Reaper and Warrior UAVs it can into Afghanistan for surveillance, "no matter what we do, there is never going to be enough so that every time a patrol goes out, it has that eye in the sky over it, looking around, checking out its local situation."

Therefore, DoD plans a huge increase in elevated line-of-sight cameras, especially on airships or tethered aerostats.

"We are going to be this summer increasing manifold the number of aerostat-borne cameras," Carter said. "It provides ... the same functionality as a UAV would have, but it's something we can afford to get in there this summer.

"There's never been, like in these months that we're witnessing right now, as dramatic a logistics effort as we've seen in Afghanistan. It's truly remarkable, from the airlift to the sealift to the ground lines to the building of [forward operating bases], the laying of runways, ramp space, tent cities, container cities to support the effort," Carter said. "This summer is going to be very critical for that effort. If we don't, in these next weeks and months, get ourselves in there and get set, we can't have success."

Carter also talked about efforts to draw down equipment from Iraq. Although measured in tons the amount of equipment to be drawn down is less than it was after the Desert Storm war, it is "an enormous migration of equipment," he said, limited by a set timetable and the challenges of ongoing warfare.

DoD is working to close its 350 forward operating bases in Iraq, he said. The number of contractors there has dropped from 147,000 to 100,000 and will drop further to 75,000. The number of vehicles has dropped from 41,000 to 29,000, and the total number of pieces of equipment has dropped from 3.4 million to 2.2 million and needs to reach 1 million pieces by August.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2010/020810_LM_K-MAX.html
Team K-MAX Demonstrates Successful Unmanned Helicopter Cargo Resupply to U.S. Marine Corps

DUGWAY, UT, February 8th, 2010 -- Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT] and Kaman Aerospace Corporation, a subsidiary of Kaman Corporation [NASDAQ GS: KAMN] have successfully demonstrated to the U.S. Marine Corps the capability of the Unmanned K-MAX® helicopter to resupply troops by unmanned helicopter at forward operating bases in Afghanistan.

During a series of flights last week in subfreezing temperatures at the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground, UT, the Unmanned K-MAX demonstrated autonomous and remote control flight over both line-of-sight and satellite-based beyond line-of-sight data link. 

“We met or exceeded the requirements within the scheduled three-day timeframe of the demonstration,” said Dan Spoor, Aviation Systems vice president at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems & Sensors facility in Owego, NY.  “The system performed a rigorous set of cargo resupply scenarios as programmed, allowing the ground-based operator to monitor progress, and make adjustments to aircraft positioning only when requested by the Marine Corps for demonstration purposes.”

Performance attributes demonstrated included hovering at 12,000 ft. with a 1,500-pound sling load; delivering 3,000 pounds of cargo well within the six-hour required timeframe to a forward operating base (two 150 nm round-trip flights); remotely controlling flight and a precision load delivery by a ground-based operator in both day and night conditions; and uploading a new mission plan to the aircraft’s mission management system during flight. 

As an optional demonstration, Team K-MAX showcased the Unmanned K-MAX helicopter’s four-hook carousel, which enables multi-load deliveries in a single flight.  Lifting a total cargo of 3,450 pounds, the aircraft flew to three pre-programmed delivery coordinates, autonomously releasing a sling load at each location.  At the customer’s request, the fourth load delivery was performed under manual control by the ground operator. 

“The Unmanned System performed operationally representative cargo resupply scenarios, and each time the system delivered as promised,” said Sal Bordonaro, President, Kaman Helicopters, a division of Kaman Aerospace Corporation.  “This capability gives the Marine Corps a proven unmanned power lifter to bring vital cargo to troops on the battlefield without the need for ground vehicles and manned helicopters.” 

Team K-MAX has flown the Unmanned K-MAX nearly 400 hours in unmanned mode since 2007.  The demonstration fulfilled an $860,000 U.S. Marine Corps contract awarded to K-MAX manufacturer Kaman Aerospace in August 2009. 

A manned version of K-MAX has accumulated more than 250,000 flight hours, conducting repetitive lift operations for the construction and logging industries worldwide.

http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-02/10/content_12961359.htm
美軍飛行員數量不足要求研制無人版"黑鷹" 
2010年02月10日 08:39:14 　來源：中青在線 

    據美國“環球戰略網”2月4日報道，美國西科斯基飛機公司旗下的“西科斯基創新”公司日前宣布：將響應軍方的要求，斥資10億美元對現役機型進行改造，其中最重要的一項是讓“黑鷹”直升機實現無人駕駛，以進一步節約人力資源。這項升級代表了軍用飛機的智能化趨勢，引起媒體與軍事愛好者的關注。

    作為一種聲望卓著的通用直升機，UH－60“黑鷹”在過去20年間憑借穩定的表現獲得了廣泛認可，幾乎已成為運輸和救援用機型的代名詞。盡管如此，不時出現的意外還是令軍方頭痛，1993年發生在索馬裏的“黑鷹墜落”造成18人死亡，2003到2007年間發生在伊拉克的多起墜機共造成51人死亡。目前，美軍對“黑鷹”的依賴有增無減，駐阿富汗部隊對該機的需求仍呈現上升趨勢。

    除了減少傷亡的需要，促使美軍對直升機進行智能化改造的另一個因素，是飛行員供不應求。“黑鷹”需配備至少兩名飛行員，在特殊環境下經常達到3人或更多。而美軍近年來重視培養無人機操作員，有人戰機駕駛員增長緩慢，在阿富汗就經常出現“黑鷹”因飛行員不夠而無法調動的情況。“西科斯基創新公司”技術總監克裏斯·布滕表示，智能化的“黑鷹”可選擇是否以人工操縱，如不派飛行員，則由計算機全自動駕駛。

    對“黑鷹”進行如此大范圍的改造是不小的技術挑戰。因為以往的無人機大多個頭較小，如“死神”無人機最大起飛重量不過4.7噸，而“黑鷹”最大起飛重量約10噸。美國某航空企業的市場與商業開發主任馬克·塔索爾表示：“要遙控視野范圍內的東西已經不易，要控制山另一邊的東西(指直升機)及安全運輸，無疑是更大的挑戰。”不過，西科斯基公司承諾，無人“黑鷹”的造價為1700萬美元(只比普通版本多200萬美元)。該公司表示將在今年內推出無人“黑鷹”原型，2015年左右正式服役。(青年參考)