Look ma, no hands...or pilot!

[HeyJoe]

USMC has been looking at unmanned resupply dating back to early days of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory's epic Green/Sea Dragon experiments. One of the proposed initiatives just took a giant step forward when an unmanned K-Max helo demonstrated a resupply capability on February 8th.

 

[usmarinemike]

Pure anathema. BOOOOOOO!

 

[Moc1Sig]

I have never flown a helo, but no tail rotor..... I am confused

never mind, i just looked up that helo and saw the dual rotor design. can't tell from that pic though. Oh yeah, BOOO on UAV's

 

[picklesuit]

Skyhawk...the fleet of the future!

 

[HeyJoe]

Look ma, no tailrotor!

I have never flown a helo, but no tail rotor..... I am confused

Kaman has had several designs that don't need one

It's actually two rotorheads thereby obviating need for tail rotor

Vietnam era Kaman HH-43 Huskie

Soviet no tailrotor design with single rotorhead

 

[squorch2]

If you ever wondered why synchropter (Kaman design) and coaxial helos have those big vertical stabilizers and rudders on the back, it's because such designs have shitty yaw control in autos. (Thanks, new and improved aero class!)

 

[Flugelman]

Or from back then....

QH-50C DASH (Drone Anti Submarine Helicopter)

 

[BACONATOR]

I have never flown a helo, but no tail rotor..... I am confused

never mind, i just looked up that helo and saw the dual rotor design. can't tell from that pic though. Oh yeah, BOOO on UAV's

You don't need counter-rotating rotors to negate the requirement for a tail rotor either. Google/wiki "NOTAR".

 

[HeyJoe]

You don't need counter-rotating rotors to negate the requirement for a tail rotor either. Google/wiki "NOTAR".

NOTAR still has a dynamic tail rotor component using ducted high pressure air (if you studied fluid dynamics, look up Coanda effect) instead of a conventional rotor blade so it's more akin to how a Harrier moves in x and y axis while in hover mode.

Hushes 500 prototype with NOTAR installed.

How it works.

 

[Pugs]

Or from back then....

QH-50C DASH (Drone Anti Submarine Helicopter)

I had a landlord that was a retired shoe Capt and we were talking over a beer one time about these. He said upon entering the OP Area you immediately would get this thing spooled up and flying. I ask why, were they that useful? He said, no 50% of the time it would head for the horizon and you'd never see it again so there was less chance it would crash into the ship.

 

[Moc1Sig]

NOTAR still has a dynamic tail rotor component using ducted high pressure air (if you studied fluid dynamics, look up Coanda effect) instead of a conventional rotor blade so it's more akin to how a Harrier moves in x and y axis while in hover mode.

Otto and Joe, thanks for the replies. I am glad the acronym is as complex as the fluid dynamics behind it (NO TAil Rotor). Also, that the Romanian mind behind the Coanda, graduated high school as Sargent Major.

works cited
The Most True Source Ever, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Coandă.

 

[HeyJoe]

Otto and Joe, thanks for the replies. I am glad the acronym is as complex as the fluid dynamics behind it (NO TAil Rotor). Also, that the Romanian mind behind the Coanda, graduated high school as Sargent Major.

works cited
The Most True Source Ever, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Coandă.

That's like putting your high school ROTC (or CAP) rank on your resume. At least Wiki spells it correctly...

 

[helolumpy]

Kaman was trying to push the K-Max off on the Navy about 12 years ago when the talk of privatizing the VERTREP requirement off USNS ships came up.

 

[highside7r]

Kaman was trying to push the K-Max off on the Navy about 12 years ago when the talk of privatizing the VERTREP requirement off USNS ships came up.

I remember that, sitting alert on mother watching these guys VERTREP, something about the rotor system I don't like, probably why I'm scared of H-46/H-47's.

 

[HeyJoe]

Kaman was trying to push the K-Max off on the Navy about 12 years ago when the talk of privatizing the VERTREP requirement off USNS ships came up.

Actually, good ole Charlie Kaman was successful in starting the whole dialogue and did a K-Max Det that proved so successfuly that MSC put out a solicitation. Irony was someone else won it after Kaman got the concept sold. And the winner is:

100207-N-9950J-734 GULF OF THAILAND (Feb. 7, 2010) Sailors assigned to the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) refuel an AS332 Super Puma helicopter during an underway replenishment with the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199). Essex is part of the forward-deployed Essex Amphibious Ready Group and is participating in Cobra Gold 2010, a co-sponsored U.S.-Thailand multinational exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Greg Johnson/Released)

There's more on history of commercializing USNS VERTREP in Otto's "We want VERTREP back" Thread. You can even join his movement (not sure they have a patch yet...).