Civil | Military | Helicopters | History | Spaceflight

Bell/Urban Aeronautics X-Hawk

Type (Muster)
Military vertical lift vehicle (Schwebefluggerät für militärische Einsätze)

Country (Land)
USA/Israel

Manufacturer (Hersteller)
Bell Helicopter
PO Box 482
Fort Worth, Texas
USA

Phone: 001-817/280-2011
Fax: 001-817/280-3631
Internet: www.bellhelicopter.com

Bell is co-operating with Urban Aeronautics (www.urbanaero.com) in Tel-Aviv for this project.

General (Allgemeine Angaben)
Crew (Besatzung): 1
Passengers (Passagiere): 11 soldiers in crashworthy seats in a central cabin between the two lift propellers. Sliding doors.

Power plant (Antrieb): 2 x CTS800 turboshafts
Power (Leistung): 2 x 916 kW (1230 shp) continuous; 1190 kW (1600 shp) with one engine inoperative

Dimensions (Abmessungen)
Fuselage length (Rumpflänge): 8,07 m
Width (Breite): 4,16 m
Height (Höhe): 3,48 m
Lift fan diameter (Hubpropellerdurchmesser): 2 x 2,49 m

Weights (Massen)
Empty weight (Leermasse): 1678 kg
Payload (Nutzlast): 770 kg
Typical mission fuel weight (Kraftstoff): 746 litres standard plus 360 litres auxiliary
Max. take-off weight (Max. Startmasse): 3040 kg

Performance (Flugleistungen)
Maximum cruise speed (max. Reisegeschwindigkeit): 259 km/h (140 kts)
Maximum altitude (max. Flughöhe): über 3660 m(12000 ft)
Range at typical mission fuel (Reichweite): 610 km (330 NM)
Mission radius (Einsatzradius): 260 km (140 NM)
Endurance at typical mission fuel (Einsatzdauer): 2.4 hrs

Costs (Kosten)
No details available yet.

Customers (Kunden)
No customers yet, as this is a concept development programme.

Remarks (Bemerkungen)
The X-Hawk is a military multi-mission vertical lift vehicle specially suited for operations in urban areas with their “canyons” of high-rise buildings. In such an environment, a conventional helicopter is penalized by its open main and tail rotor, while X-Hawk has enclosed propellers located fore and aft in the fuselage.
Major features of the X-Hawk, called a “Fancraft” by Bell, are:

lift propellers with variable pitch blades plus two enclosed pusher propellers.
quadruplex fly by wire flight control system with auto-stabilization function to reduce pilot workload. Control is via propeller speed and pitch, louvers on top and bottom of both propellers and the horizontal props which can push for and aft. Louvres are also located in the nose and tail to allow a certain amount of horizontal air flow through the propellers to reduce drag in forward flight.
airframe fully built from composites to bring weight down
four wheel undercarriage which has its own power to drive the X-Hawk on the ground at speed of up to 20 km/h
side-mounted MGs
FLIR sensor pod in the nose

History (Geschichte)
Dr. Rafi Yoeli founded Urban Aeronautics in 2000 specially to develop vertical lift aerial vehicles. He flew a small City Hawk proof of concept vehicle powered by four piston engines in January 2003. It performed about ten hover flights at low altitude.
After the tests proved the concept, Urban started work on the so called X-Hawk, a VTOL rescue vehicle with a take-off weight of around 2270 kg and room for around eight people. The Purdy Corporation (gear and shafts) and Bet Shemesh Engines (supply of used turboshafts) were signed on as partners.
In the search for development funds, Yoeli concluded an agreement with Bell Helicopter acting as a marketing partner in the summer of 2005. This shifted attention to the military sector. Bell displayed a full-scale mock-up of the 11 seat military X-Hawk at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2006. At that time the US company said that further wind tunnel tests are pending and that an X-Hawk proof of concept vehicle could fly in about four years.

Civil | Military | Helicopters | History | Spaceflight

Last updated 21 August 2006

FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany