Piasecki X-49 Speedhawk

Piasecki X-49 Speedhawk History

The compound helicopter has been a concept for decades since it was conceived in the mid-1930s. Its practical application, however, proved elusive in serving the military and civilian markets, and no great product has been launched on a large scale since then. This compound helicopter is so named because it uses a conventional rotor system for conventional hover and a powerplant for faster-than-normal level flight.

Essentially, the design is a bridge between the standard helicopter concept and a fixed-wing aircraft - bringing the best of both designs into one package. In the modern aviation world, composite design is once again trying to find its place as various industry players develop new military and civilian concepts.

For the U.S. military, it sought to develop a compound helicopter product capable of consistently reaching over 230 miles per hour while demonstrating inherently strong range, reliability and survivability on the modern battlefield. A grant program was launched to justify the design of possible large-scale future applications.

In addition, the fleet of the old but aging Sikorsky H-60 ??Black Hawk family will eventually need a successor, and several aerospace groups have come out to help develop a viable compound helicopter solution to gain help.

During this process, two paths emerged - developing a completely new helicopter system or retrofitting an existing product of the H-60 ??family. For Piasecki Aircraft Corporation, this has become the latter, with a proprietary Vector Thrust Ducted Propeller (VTDP) unit installed on the tail shaft of the existing Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk, replacing the original entire tail unit (including tail rotor). Wing main aircraft were also added to the lower fuselage to provide the control needed to encounter speeds exceeding those of a basic Seahawk helicopter (up to about 170 mph). These changes resulted in what was initially known as the YSH-60F, which later became the X-49A in May 2003.

She was nicknamed "Speedhawk" in homage to her Seahawk roots.

The origins of the X-49 lie in an early technology demonstration program led by the United States Navy (USN), so the Seahawk was used in the conversion process. The pair of GE T700 turboshafts were retained, and the aforementioned Piasecki unit and wing main aircraft were added.

The product was eventually handed over to the U.S. Army in 2004, and the completed X-49A prototype made its maiden flight on June 29, 2007, and subsequently completed nearly 100 flight hours while undergoing various aerial tests.

The compound helicopter approach was also the focus of the discontinued Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne attack helicopter product, which proved to be a faster helicopter attack platform than anything that existed at the time. Piasecki also has a history of doing this type of work, dating back to the 1960s testing the Piasecki 16H-1A composite, which was capable of speeds in excess of 225 mph.

The X-49 has continued to be actively tested and developed since 2015. It has a top speed of 167 mph (though it surpassed 207 mph in testing), has a range of up to 440 miles, a service ceiling of 19,000 feet and a climb rate of 700 feet per minute. In addition to her crew of three, she can accommodate passengers in the middle of the existing Seahawk cabin.

The aircraft uses a four-blade main rotor assembly, fly-by-wire (FBW) control system, and several aerodynamic improvements along its structure. The product has successfully completed all Phase 1 milestones.

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