What is this Chopper???? Please help.

I was just googleing around and I found this


what do you guys think? Are these in use today?

Happy hunting.

Looks like a modified Apache to me. Same front and same side engine housings.

its a AH-64 test bed with ` vectored thrust ducted prop ` mods

be fore you ask - noi dont know what the benefits are

ducted props on ships have been around for years [ kort nozzles etc ] , but i dunno why aero engineers have " ignored " them till very recently

there must be some benefits , given that mass and aerodynamic drag will both be higher thann a tail rotor

though the obvious benefit would be resistance to bird strike etc and resistance to damage

Seems like a heavily modified APache as Zed said, with a new tail boom and more aerodynamic stores wings. The modification to the tale boom maybe to pretect it from small arms fire, as it probably the most vulnerable spot on the helicopter.

Looks to have BERP blades and extra aerodynamic surfaces where the weapon pylons should be, that spells high speed to me.

I am adding this sentence to avoid getting a warning for one sentence posts (again), normal service will be resumed momentarily.

Maybe this will be the U.S.A.'s answer to the Russian KA-50.

en.wikipedia.org...

It's a model of a proposed mod to the apache with the pieski ducted tail fan. Faster, faster, faster... i think they plan to fly it on a blackhawk first to see how it works?

Originally posted by Captain_Sensible
Maybe this will be the U.S.A.'s answer to the Russian KA-50.

en.wikipedia.org...

Ka-52 is alot newer variant and more advanced than the Ka-50.

Shattered OUT...

This is just a proposal I believe, it's definitly ugly as hell, too bad I can't remember the project's name and who's working on it, I think Boeing, but I am not sure, as OtS or Intelgirl I guess.

This is a prototype apache equipped with the NOTAR system also known as Piasecki's VTDP technology (Vectored-Thrust Ducted Propeller)

The NOTAR System :

The NOTAR anti-torque system gives superior safety and also the ability to be extreamly quiet. Those helicopters equipped with the NOTAR system have low insurance rates. They have the greatest compliance margain of any helicopter yet tested to both the ICAO and the FAA Stage 2 noise requirements.

The NOTAR System consists of an enclosed articulated fan driven unit by the main transmission, a circulation control tail boom, direct jet thruster, and vertical stabilisers. Low pressure air, forced through two slots on the tail boom, causes the main rotor downwash to ‘hug’ the contour of the boom, creating lateral lift that counteracts main rotor torque.

There have even been reports of such an aircraft flying in the UK

www.maxpages.com...

Also this ATS thread discusses the development New apache helicopter? Piasecki VTDP

Yeah, that looks a bit fake... a bit of The Commanche and a bit of the Apache... That's what my eyes tell me...

Certainly interesting tail assembly for sure..perhaps to enhance forward speed?

Dallas

Originally posted by Figher Master FIN
Yeah, that looks a bit fake... a bit of The Commanche and a bit of the Apache... That's what my eyes tell me...

It's not fake. It actually was a real prototype Rotor craft.

Shattered OUT...

Honestly, it looks like concept art to me...

Not that it's a bad idea tho. I can see some benifits in design going on there.
It looks like it's built for areo-dynamic speed.

What I don't see is any good counter rotation. Maybe the mass of that tail assembly is enough?

Either way, it looks like a trade off of low-speed stability for faster areo-dynamic flight.

Personally, if that was my goal, I'd stick to using planes.

Now, if you could articulate that whole tail section and ramp main roater power way up...

Hmm.

[edit on 24-9-2005 by BitRaiser]

One thing that you should keep in mind is that the speed of the blades as they spin towards the rear of the aircraft, left side if counter-clockwise spin and right if clockwise, determines maximum forward airspeed. Yes there are other factors such as drag and weight of the aircraft, but if the max speed of the blade is 220kts, that's the fastest it can theoretically go without the blade losing lift.

At least that's what a crew chief in the squadron told me...

Is it just me or this Apache looks a bit like...



OMG I'm so stoopid, sorry for disrupting the thread with that crap.

Originally posted by Shaker
One thing that you should keep in mind is that the speed of the blades as they spin towards the rear of the aircraft, left side if counter-clockwise spin and right if clockwise, determines maximum forward airspeed. Yes there are other factors such as drag and weight of the aircraft, but if the max speed of the blade is 220kts, that's the fastest it can theoretically go without the blade losing lift.

At least that's what a crew chief in the squadron told me...

This is true, however you can still think about thing like roater surface. If you've got a better counter rotation system, you can afford more mass on your main roater. Use that mass to provide more surface area, and thus provide more lift.

You could even go so far as to use a simular enclosure for the main roater as that seen on this thing's tail. That would provide and big boost in durability and could be used to make the aircraft more manuverable by vectoring the main output.

We're getting into some rather drastic modifications here, tho!

Here's a thread from ATS talking about this
www.abovetopsecret.com...
It was from over a year ago

The project may be real but I too have a feeling that the pic was CG. The surfaces just look way too smooth...

[edit on 24-9-2005 by Taishyou]

That looks really wierd to me!

All the tail rotor assy actually does, is to stop a helicopter spinning round on it's own axis - due to the tremendous torque that constantly builds up by the main rotors spinning overhead.

Well, its an Apache with a tail modification for more forward thrust.

Here is another one.

Can anyone tell me what this is?

I have looked for the name and I couldn't find anything on this picture. I think it a prototype for the unmanned drons but I really don't know.