Sikorsky has announced it is developing a new prototype aircraft that will be using a smaller piston motor in combination with an electrical generator to help work towards carbon neutral flight in future aircraft.
The new aircraft, also referred to as a Hybrid-Electric Demonstrator (HEX), will help Sikorsky explore the potential of electric-powered and autonomous flight systems, the company said in a statement.
Igor Cherepinsky, director of Sikorsky Innovations rapid prototyping group, said the prototype is a way to test new technologies and inform future products.
Combining a turbine and an electric battery will help to reduce the pure burning of fossil fuels by aircraft, which can optimize various performance criteria, said Cherepinsky.
The new aircraft, which has a range of 500 miles, will be used to evaluate large aircraft design and propulsion systems as well as mechanisms for sustained hovering.
Paul Lemmo, Sikorsky president, said, “Sikorsky’s HEX aircraft will provide critical insights into the possibilities of electric systems in VTOL (vertical-take-off-and-landing) aircraft. Ultimately, we want to show the potential of large, advanced air mobility vehicles to perform utility missions for the U.S. military and transport passengers between cities.”
GE Aerospace is working with Sikorsky to provide an engine and generator for the aircraft, similar to systems they have developed for NASA and the U.S. Army.
Cherepinsky will lead his team to integrate the HEX frame and motors with the company’s autonomy flight control system, MATRIX.
Along with the control system, Sikorsky will also be designing the electrical motor for the aircraft.
The MATRIX system has been tested extensively over the last decade and will be used to control flight of the HEX aircraft.
Cherepinsky said Sikorsky provides larger aircraft that are good at sustained hover, and the new prototype will allow for future products to move faster and still provide sustained hover capabilities.
“As we attempt to look toward the future and get these hovering machines to go faster and faster, we don’t want to give up on the ability to provide sustained hover,” he said.
Sikorsky said in the announcement that insights from flight tests and potential customer applications could lead to a family of the vehicles in the HEX program. They would be designed to carry payloads and passengers for military and commercial operations.
Contact Matt Verrilli at mverrilli@newhavenbiz.com
