Analysis of Maneuverability Effects on Rotor/Wing Design Characteristics

A parametric study was conducted to determine the effects of maneuverability requirements on the design characteristics of rotors and wings for helicopters. The study was performed for both single-rotor helicopters and single-rotor winged helicopters. Study results indicate that for typical UTTAS configurations, both winged and pure helicopters, designed for equal maneuvering capability, had equal payload capability. Therefore, for equal maneuvering capability, there was no discernible difference in weight or overall size. Winged configurations were more limited in their ability to achieve low i.e., near zero g, high-speed, maneuvering flight due to the difficulty in reducing wing lift sufficiently.