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46-415: The AgustaWestland Project Zero is a hybrid tiltrotor / Lift fan aircraft. It has been developed by AgustaWestland as a technology demonstrator, and is used to investigate all-electric propulsion and other advanced technologies. It is the world's first electric tiltrotor aircraft. In December 2010, AgustaWestland's management approved the formation of a team under James Wang with the intention of producing

92-532: A 68-seater transport We 028—at the SBAC Farnborough Airshow . In 1972, with funding from NASA and the U.S. Army , Bell Helicopter Textron started development of the XV-15 , a twin-engine tiltrotor research aircraft. Two aircraft were built to prove the tiltrotor design and explore the operational flight envelope for military and civil applications. In 1981, using experience gained from

138-622: A European Patent, EP2551190 (A1), was filed on 29 July 2011 and granted 30 January 2013, while patents (listing James Wang as the inventor) were also granted in parallel in the United States, US2013026303 (A1); Other patents were filed in Korea (KR20130014450 (A)), Japan (JP2013032147 (A)), and China (CN102897317 (A)). In June 2011, the unmanned demonstrator conducted its first tethered flight at AgustaWestland's Cascina Costa facility in Italy. It

184-435: A cruise speed of 300 knots, a top speed of 330 knots, a ceiling of 25,000 feet, and a range of 500 nautical miles. In vertical flight, the tiltrotor uses controls very similar to a twin or tandem-rotor helicopter. Yaw is controlled by tilting its rotors in opposite directions. Roll is provided through differential power or thrust. Pitch is provided through rotor blades cyclic -, or nacelle , tilt. Vertical motion

230-572: A custom-built electric motor inverter and accompanying motor control algorithm, Selex ES provided the High-Integrity Flight Control Computer and the Actuator Control Unit. Lucchi R.Elettromeccanica custom-built the axial flux permanent magnetic motors ; Rotor Systems Research LLC worked in conjunction with AgustaWestland on the aerodynamic design of the rotor blades . Lola Composites produced

276-453: A dependency on oxygen . On the ground, the batteries may be recharged by tilting the rotors into the wind to act as turbines . The demonstrator was designed to accommodate numerous different energy sources for the electric motors; an alternative hybrid propulsion option also exists, this uses a lightweight diesel engine to drive a generator to provide electricity for the motors, which was developed by ORAL Engineering. During cruise flight,

322-506: A helicopter's issues of retreating blade stall , the tiltrotor can achieve higher cruise speeds and takeoff weights than helicopters. A tiltrotor aircraft differs from a tiltwing in that only the rotor pivots rather than the entire wing. This method trades off efficiency in vertical flight for efficiency in STOL / STOVL operations. The first work in the direction of a tilt-rotor (French "Convertible") seems to have originated ca. 1902 by

368-611: A helicopter. In vertical flight, the mono tiltrotor uses controls very similar to a coaxial helicopter, such as the Kamov Ka-50 . Yaw is controlled for instance by increasing the lift on the upper proprotor while decreasing the lift on the lower proprotor. Roll and pitch are provided through rotor cyclic. Vertical motion is controlled with conventional rotor blade blade pitch . Helicopter Association International Since 1948, VAI has provided its membership with services that directly benefit their operations and advances

414-586: A more radical approach would be adopted: A twin-rotor electric tiltrotor , lacking any transmission or swashplates . Wang summarised the team's philosophy as "Anything that is bordline impossible, we want to do". Noting that the AgustaWestland AW169 's development had been completed in under four years, management decided to challenge the team to complete the project within a single year, including initial flight testing. The team worked almost continuously, 24 hours per day and seven days per week for

460-415: A runway. A drawback however is that a tiltrotor suffers considerably reduced payload when taking off from high altitude. A mono tiltrotor aircraft uses a tiltable rotating propeller , or coaxial proprotor , for lift and propulsion . For vertical flight the proprotor is angled to direct its thrust downwards, providing lift. In this mode of operation the craft is essentially identical to a helicopter. As

506-512: A single pilot seated within the cockpit, or alternatively operated as an unmanned aerial vehicle . Key to Project Zero is the innovative propulsion system that it was developed to demonstrate and test. The two large rotors of the aircraft are driven by advanced electric motors , which are in turn powered by energy stored in batteries The all-electric design eliminates the need for a transmission , as used on conventional aircraft; it also operates with low acoustic and thermal signatures and without

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552-430: A technology demonstrator incorporating as many new innovations as possible on a single airframe. Speaking in 2013, Wang noted that electric technologies were rapidly advancing, and that the function of Project Zero was to achieve readiness with electric aircraft technologies: "Rather than waiting for the battery to become even better, then working on electric aircraft technology, the team has positioned itself to be ready for

598-721: A tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the TR918 Eagle Eye . Russia has had a few tiltrotor projects, mostly unmanned such as the Mil Mi-30 , and has started another in 2015. Around 2005 –2010, Bell and Boeing teamed up again to perform a conceptual study of a larger Quad TiltRotor (QTR) for the US Army's Joint Heavy Lift (JHL) program. The QTR is a larger, four rotor version of the V-22 with two tandem wings sets of fixed wings and four tilting rotors. In January 2013,

644-691: A year until a crash in Chesapeake Bay on July 20, 1955, destroying the prototype aircraft but not seriously injuring the pilot. The Model 2 was developed and flew shortly afterwards, but the US Air Force withdrew funding in favor of the Bell XV-3 and it did not fly much beyond hover tests. The Transcendental 1-G is the first tiltrotor aircraft to have flown and accomplished most of a helicopter to aircraft transition in flight (to within 10 degrees of true horizontal aircraft flight). Built in 1953,

690-497: Is an advanced demonstrator, intended to explore and showcase the capabilities of electric propulsion in aviation. The aircraft is powered by rechargeable batteries. AgustaWestland has stated that, when furnished with a suitable powerplant, the aircraft would be capable of speeds equivalent of traditional tiltrotor designs and possess a typical cruising height double that of a conventional helicopter. The technology demonstrator has not been optimised for production. It can either be flown by

736-543: Is controlled with conventional rotor blade pitch and either a conventional helicopter collective control lever (as in the Bell/Agusta BA609 ) or a unique control similar to a fixed-wing engine control called a thrust control lever (TCL) (as in the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey ). The tiltrotor's advantage is significantly greater speed than a helicopter. In a helicopter the maximum forward speed

782-403: Is defined by the turn speed of the rotor ; at some point the helicopter will be moving forward at the same speed as the spinning of the backwards-moving side of the rotor, so that side of the rotor sees zero or negative airspeed , and begins to stall . This limits modern helicopters to cruise speeds of about 150 knots / 277 km/h. However, with the tiltrotor this problem is avoided, because

828-402: Is significant in certain uses. Speed and, more importantly, the benefit to overall response time is the principal virtue sought by the military forces that are using the tiltrotor. Tiltrotors are inherently less noisy in forward flight (airplane mode) than helicopters. This, combined with their increased speed, is expected to improve their utility in populated areas for commercial uses and reduce

874-520: The FAA defined US tiltrotor noise rules to comply with ICAO rules. A noise certification will cost $ 588,000, same as for a large helicopter. AgustaWestland says they have free-flown a manned electric tiltrotor in 2013 called Project Zero , with its rotors inside the wingspan. In 2013, Bell Helicopter CEO John Garrison responded to Boeing's taking a different airframe partner for the US Army's future lift requirements by indicating that Bell would take

920-444: The composite material from which most of the exterior surfaces are made of Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), while UCHIDA manufactured the composite structure for the rotor blades, shrouds, and spokes. Stile Bertone worked to develop the aesthetic and aerodynamic styling of the aircraft. The designation Project Zero was derived from an observation that this was a unique internal project with no comparable counterpart within

966-421: The wing tips , in that the coaxial proprotor is mounted to the aircraft's fuselage . As a result of this structural efficiency, a mono tiltrotor exceeds the transport efficiency (speed times payload) of both a helicopter and a conventional tiltrotor. One design study concluded that if the mono tiltrotor could be technically realized, it would be half the size, one-third the weight, and nearly twice as fast as

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1012-546: The Advanced Concepts Group, including hybrid diesel propulsion, the incorporation of fuel cells , and other unspecified technologies. In its original configuration, ten minutes flight time is the current operational limit; speaking in 2016, Wang stated that he is hopeful that battery technology will advance within a decade to support a 100-minute operating time. Project Zero is an unconventional electric-propelled convertiplane of tiltrotor configuration. It

1058-625: The French-Swiss brothers Henri and Armand Dufaux, for which they got a patent in February 1904, and made their work public in April 1905. Concrete ideas of constructing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft using helicopter-like rotors were pushed further in the 1930s. The first design resembling modern tiltrotors was patented by George Lehberger in May 1930, but he did not further develop

1104-557: The PL-16, the first American tiltrotor aircraft. However, the company shut down in August 1946 due to lack of capital. Two prototypes which made it to flight were the one-seat Transcendental Model 1-G and two seat Transcendental Model 2, each powered by a single reciprocating engine. Development started on the Model 1-G in 1947, though it did not fly until 1954. The Model 1-G flew for about

1150-630: The XV-3 and XV-15, Bell and Boeing Helicopters began developing the V-22 Osprey , a twin-turboshaft military tiltrotor aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps . Bell teamed with Boeing in developing a commercial tiltrotor, but Boeing went out in 1998 and Agusta came in for the Bell/Agusta BA609 . This aircraft was redesignated as the AW609 following the transfer of full ownership to AgustaWestland in 2011. Bell has also developed

1196-414: The aircraft gains speed, the rotors are progressively tilted forward, with the plane of rotation eventually becoming vertical. In this mode the rotors provide thrust as a propeller , and the airfoil of the fixed wings takes over providing the lift via the forward motion of the entire aircraft. Since the rotors can be configured to be more efficient for propulsion (e.g. with root-tip twist) and it avoids

1242-505: The basis of providing the greatest speed at reasonable weight and finance costs. According to the company, the aircraft "employs no hydraulics, doesn't burn fossil fuel and generates zero emissions." In place of hydraulics , electromechanical actuators have been used for functions such as the retraction of the undercarriage , tilting the nacelles, and actuating the aircraft's elevons ; these actuators were purpose-developed by Microtecnica. Key technologies of Project Zero have been patented;

1288-488: The civil helicopter industry by providing programs that enhance safety, encourage professionalism and promote the unique contributions made by helicopters to society, according to its mission statement. Their Salute to Excellence awards are issued annually "for outstanding achievements in the international helicopter community". Every year the VAI arranges the helicopter exhibition VERTICON . In 2024 25,000 visitors explored

1334-487: The company's history. The development of Project Zero was conducted within a short amount of time; the time between the start of the design phase and the first flight of the demonstrator itself was less than six months. In order to ensure that tangible benefits from the project were made, it was decided that a full-scale aircraft must be produced and flown. In June 2011, a full-scale demonstrator performed an initial tethered flight at Cascina Costa, Italy. According to Wang, there

1380-538: The concept. In World War II , Weserflug in Germany came up with the concept of their P.1003/1 around 1938, which was tilting to the top with part of the wings but not the full wings, so it may be in between tilt-rotor and tilt-planes. Shortly after a German prototype , the Focke-Achgelis Fa 269 , was developed starting in 1942, which was tilting to the ground, but never flew. Platt and LePage patented

1426-427: The craft gains speed, the coaxial proprotor is slowly tilted forward, with the blades eventually becoming perpendicular to the ground. In this mode the wing provides the lift, and the wing's greater efficiency helps the tiltrotor achieve its high speed. In this mode, the craft is essentially a turboprop aircraft. A mono tiltrotor aircraft is different from a conventional tiltrotor in which the proprotors are mounted to

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1472-475: The ends of a fixed wing . Almost all tiltrotors use a transverse rotor design, with a few exceptions that use other multirotor layouts. Tiltrotor design combines the VTOL capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a conventional fixed-wing aircraft . For vertical flight, the rotors are angled so the plane of rotation is horizontal, generating lift the way a normal helicopter rotor does. As

1518-443: The expense of payload . As a result of this reduced payload, some estimate that a tiltrotor does not exceed the transport efficiency (speed times payload) of a helicopter, while others conclude the opposite. Additionally, the tiltrotor propulsion system is more complex than a conventional helicopter due to the large, articulated nacelles and the added wing; however, the improved cruise efficiency and speed improvement over helicopters

1564-705: The experimental Bell XV-3 flew until 1966, proving the fundamental soundness of the tiltrotor concept and gathering data about technical improvements needed for future designs. A related technology development is the tiltwing . Although two designs, the Canadair CL-84 Dynavert and the LTV XC-142 , were technical successes, neither entered production due to other issues. Tiltrotors generally have better hover efficiency than tiltwings, but less than helicopters. In 1968, Westland Aircraft displayed their own designs—a small experimental craft (We 01C) and

1610-537: The extremes of the flight envelope due to the aircraft's atypical shape. The use of computer aided design (CAD) tools was also essential to meeting the extremely fast schedule of the program; computational fluid dynamics and finite element modeling were both used extensively. Various companies in Italy, the UK, the U.S. and Japan worked on the design and/or manufacturing of elements of Project Zero, including four different branches of Finmeccanica . Ansaldo Breda designed

1656-506: The full-scale demonstrator due to the limited flight endurance it possesses. In February 2016, it was announced that a hybrid drive system would be installed on the full-scale aircraft, this is aimed at extending the flight endurance from 10 minutes to 35–45 minutes. Related lists Tiltrotor A tiltrotor is an aircraft that generates lift and propulsion by way of one or more powered rotors (sometimes called proprotors ) mounted on rotating shafts or nacelles usually at

1702-416: The individual or organization that has fostered and encouraged research and experimentation in helicopter development. Following the flight testing period, AgustaWestland set about learning from the project and studying means to transfer technologies produced into its existing rotorcraft product line. It has been emphasised that Project Zero itself is not a product, but an investment in technologies to benefit

1748-456: The initial six-month period. Team members did not wait on emails or voicemail , instead going directly to one another in person, being based in the same office, this also assisted in maintaining secrecy - direct teamwork in this fashion was heavily encouraged. AgustaWestland's Advanced Concepts Group performed extensive model testing for the project; this involved the creation of multiple flight-capable 1/10th-scale models, which were flown to test

1794-657: The lead itself in developing the Bell V-280 Valor , with Lockheed Martin. In 2014, the Clean Sky 2 program (by the European Union and industry) awarded AgustaWestland and its partners $ 328 million to develop a "next-generation civil tiltrotor" design for the offshore market, with Critical Design Review near the end of 2016. The goals are tilting wing sections, 11 metric tons Maximum takeoff weight , seating for 19 to 22 passengers, first flight in 2021,

1840-404: The majority of the lift is provided by the wings; the outer wings are detachable, which could be useful for shorter range missions mainly using the 'helicopter mode' of flight. In excess of 80 percent of the aircraft's composition is composite materials , including all of the skin, rotor blades , shroud, and spokes; the structure is almost entirely aluminium and carbon. Materials were selected on

1886-513: The next generation of batteries". At AgustaWestland and its partner companies, a total of two dozen full-time engineers worked on the project in a skunkworks -style of development at AgustaWestland's Cascina Costa facility in Italy. According to Wang, those appointed to the team were handpicked, and were typically young and passionate; each member had a specific specialty in one area. The team quickly decided that, instead of pursuing an electric-powered but otherwise conventional airplane or helicopter,

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1932-408: The proprotors are perpendicular to the motion in the high-speed portions of the flight regime (and thus not subject to this reverse flow condition), so the tiltrotor has relatively high maximum speed—over 300 knots / 560 km/h has been demonstrated in the two types of tiltrotors flown so far, and cruise speeds of 250 knots / 460 km/h are achieved. This speed is achieved somewhat at

1978-712: The threat of detection for military uses. Tiltrotors, however, are typically as loud as equally sized helicopters in hovering flight. Noise simulations for a 90-passenger tiltrotor indicate lower cruise noise inside the cabin than a Bombardier Dash 8 airplane, although low-frequency vibrations may be higher. Tiltrotors also provide substantially greater cruise altitude capability than helicopters. Tiltrotors can easily reach 6,000 m / 20,000 ft or more whereas helicopters typically do not exceed 3,000 m / 10,000 ft altitude. This feature will mean that some uses that have been commonly considered only for fixed-wing aircraft can now be supported with tiltrotors without need of

2024-455: The wider company. In 2016, it was noted that the active blade control system developed for Project Zero, which removes the need for a swash plate and a separate vibration-damping system, was to undergo flight testing on an AgustaWestland AW139 ; separately, the flight control laws used by Project Zero shall be used for a future tiltrotor project by AgustaWestland. Various alternative propulsion arrangements for Project Zero have been envisioned by

2070-638: Was flown in secured areas multiple times in 2011 and 2012, including flights with and without the ducted shrouds around its tilting rotors; a further modification included an alternative and more advanced set of rotor blades with a non-linear twist and custom airfoils being installed. Flight testing allowed for the fine-tuning of the propulsion system, which resulted in a 30 per cent gain in effective power. Project Zero has made numerous public appearances since being revealed in March 2013. Flight testing has also continued, this has focused on 1/3rd-scale models rather than

2116-691: Was no need for any redesigning or corrective work "Everything worked - the whole design - first time". On 4 March 2013, the existence of the program was announced to the public at the Helicopter Association International (HAI) Heli-Expo . In June 2013, the aircraft was publicly displayed at the Paris Air Show . In early 2014, the Project Zero team was awarded AHS International 's prestigious 2014 Grover E. Bell Award—named for Larry Bell 's late brother—given to

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