Russian helicopter builders begin to create a new combat vehicle
In the next few years, Russia may become the first country in the world to create a fifth-generation attack helicopter. True, for this, the designers will have to solve a number of problems, including the stealth and low noise of the new machine. It should be noted that similar projects exist in the United States, but there they do not receive government funding and have not yet gone beyond paper calculations.
For the first time, Colonel-General Alexander Zelin, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, announced the development of a fifth-generation helicopter at the end of 2008. However, the commander-in-chief did not disclose the details of the project, he only noted that the experimental design bureaus were actively working.
At the beginning of the journey
Since then, nothing was heard about the future aircraft until May 2010, when the executive director of the Russian Helicopters holding, Andrey Shibitov, spoke about the creation of a new rotorcraft.
According to him, the concept of an attack helicopter is being developed, but it is at the stage of pre-design research. That is, the project itself is not actually being implemented yet. According to Shibitov, “the blowing of two aerodynamic schemes has begun - coaxial and classical. The first results have been received. " The blowing is carried out by the Russian helicopter design bureaus "Mila" and "Kamova", which use classical and coaxial schemes in their finished products, respectively.
In June 2010, Aleksey Samusenko, General Designer and First Deputy Executive Director of Mil OKB, told a little more about the new machine. But from his statements it followed that, as such, pre-design studies on the topic of a fifth-generation helicopter had not yet begun. Russian specialists are engaged in research in the field of high-speed rotorcraft. The developments obtained within the framework of the project can later be used in the creation of a new attack helicopter.
Over the past few years, three models of high-speed helicopters have been created in Russia - the Mi-X1 (Milya Design Bureau), as well as the Ka-90 and Ka-92 (Kamova Design Bureau). As part of these projects, designers are trying to remove speed restrictions from future vehicles imposed on them by the design of the rotorcraft itself. Presumably, the Ka-90 will be able to fly at speeds in excess of 800 km / h thanks to a bypass jet engine. The use of an additional power plant will reduce the rotational speed of the rotor without losing traction.
Typically, the top speed of helicopters is limited to 330-340 km / h. For a high speed of the machine also means a high speed of rotation of the propeller and movement of the blades in the air stream, which can lead to the manifestation of the "locking effect" - no increase (or even decrease) in thrust, despite the increase in power transmitted to the propeller. This is due to the appearance of sections with supersonic air flow on the propeller blades.
Based on the words of Samusenko, one can assume that the creation of a new generation combat helicopter in our country will be directly engaged in 2011. But so far we are only talking about research and development and the formation of recommendations for new combat helicopters. Only then can a decision be made to start developing the first prototypes.
How long it will take for everything about everything is still unknown. According to some estimates, if the design bureau succeeds in obtaining the terms of reference of the Russian Ministry of Defense and state funding, it will take about five years to create a new generation of attack helicopters.
Classification question
Russia became the first country in the world to use the term "fifth generation helicopter". Previously, helicopter technology did not have a clear generational classification, like, say, fighters. At the same time, there were no specific requirements for the machines of each generation, as is customary in fighter aviation.
The rotorcraft classification is further complicated by the fact that often each new machine (not only in Russia, but throughout the world) is based on similar helicopters of previous versions, adopting most of the technical and design solutions from its predecessors. An example is the Russian Mi-28N Night Hunter and Mi-35 attack helicopters, created on the basis of the Mi-28 and Mi-24, respectively. The same applies to the American AH-64D Apache Longbow or AH-1Z Super Cobra, which are based on the AH-64 Apache and AH-1 Cobra.
Mi-28N
AH-64D Apache Longbow
AH-1Z Super cobra
Each of these helicopters differs from its predecessor in more advanced avionics, an expanded range of weapons and some technical innovations, but in fact it is only a modernization of varying degrees of depth. For this reason, the Mi-28 and Mi-28N can be attributed both to the same generation and to different generations. And all due to the fact that there is no clear classification of such machines.
In its absence, generations of helicopters can be counted - it all depends on what specific parameters of the rotorcraft are taken as a basis. For example, according to the first vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Konstantin Sivkov, there are four generations of attack rotorcraft in Russia: the first is the Mi-1, the second is the Mi-4, the third is the Mi-24, and the fourth is the Mi-28N, Ka-50. Black Shark (discontinued) and Ka-52 Alligator.
Ka-52 "Alligator"
Ka-50 - "Black Shark"
It would be possible to agree with such a classification of attack helicopters if the mentioned Mi-1 and Mi-4 did not belong to the class of multipurpose vehicles, which were used for the most part for cargo transportation. They rarely even had defensive weapons. However, following the logic of Sivkov, between the Mi-4 and the Mi-24 should be placed the transport-assault version of the Mi-8 - Mi-8AMTSh, adapted for combat operations even at night.
As a result, taking into account the Mi-8AMTSh, we already have five generations of helicopters. Thus, it turns out that Russian specialists are engaged in the creation of a sixth generation machine. On the other hand, if you delete transport rotorcraft from Sivkov's classification and leave only shock ones, then only two generations of helicopters will remain.
Mi-8AMTSh
Another classification can be introduced. The first truly combat rotorcraft, that is, a vehicle capable of attacking ground and low-flying air targets, was the Soviet Mi-24 helicopter and its modifications. The second generation includes the Ka-50, which differs from the Mi-24 in new technical solutions. The third generation includes the Mi-28N, which also has technical innovations (updated avionics, X-shaped tail rotor), but is not equipped with active protection systems and a well-developed night vision system.
The fourth generation is the Ka-52 helicopter. This aircraft differs from its predecessor rotorcraft in a fundamentally new avionics. In addition, the helicopter has a powerful radar system, high survivability and an active defense system against portable anti-aircraft missile systems, and the Ka-52 is also capable of fighting at night.
In general, the term “fifth generation helicopter” introduced in Russia should not be regarded as a real-life rotorcraft classification. With this term, the developers seek to show that the new machine will radically differ from the helicopters created in Russia to date.
What will it be?
What should be a combat helicopter of the future? Very little is known about this today. For the most part, only assumptions have been made on this topic so far. In particular, Aleksey Samusenko believes that the new rotorcraft should be more versatile. “At present, combat helicopters are used to support ground forces, perform reconnaissance functions, and provide fire support in local conflicts,” said Mil’s general designer. "The future machine will be able to perform all these and some other tasks, while the efficiency of the helicopter will be increased in comparison with the existing models."
According to Samusenko, specific requirements for fifth-generation helicopters will be determined taking into account "those military concepts that will exist in our country in the next 10-15 years." What exactly is meant, he did not specify. One of the main characteristics of a promising helicopter, the general designer attributed the absence of the concept of "calendar service life" - the machine will conduct self-diagnostics and provide technical personnel with information about what needs to be corrected in order to continue flying further.
Such self-diagnostics can possibly be realized by installing a large number of sensors in various elements of the helicopter structure. A similar system is being created by the British company BAE Systems. True, its development should carefully assess only the condition of the engines, and not the entire machine as a whole. In the United States, by the way, the Armored Research Center seeks to manufacture "smart armor" - a self-diagnostic system that will allow on-board computers installed on military equipment to independently determine the state of the armor and identify existing damage.
Among other requirements for a combat helicopter, the Mila Design Bureau calls the high intellectualization of the side, the ability to fire from cover, the ability to independently return to base if a pilot is killed or injured, high speeds of horizontal and vertical flights, the possibility of vertical take-off (modern helicopters with full combat load most often make a short run to save the resource of engines and fuel), stealth in the optical, infrared and radar wavelengths and low noise.
It should be noted that most of these requirements have already been implemented in modern machines. In particular, the Ka-52, with the appropriate weapons, can fire from cover, take off and land vertically, fly at speeds up to 310 km / h, and even return to base on its own. (However, Samusenko emphasized, in the future such a flight will become more intelligent: for example, the helicopter will not go to a thunderstorm front.) That is, only low noise, stealth and, to some extent, intelligent onboard systems will be fundamentally new.
The use of artificial intelligence, as on the fifth generation F-22 Raptor fighters, as well as the promising F-35 Lightning II or T-50 (PAK FA), will provide the pilot with a more effective combat mission. The computer will give the pilot tips on how to control the vehicle, aim at targets or choose a route - all of which are designed to improve the effectiveness of each sortie in the course of hostilities. In a machine as complex as a fifth generation helicopter, intelligent systems are a must.
Meanwhile, according to Samusenko, the new helicopter will be able to develop horizontal speed up to 450-500, and vertical speed up to 250-300 km / h. To reduce noise, a new design of screws will be used, but how it will differ from the existing samples is still unknown. According to the retired colonel-general Vitaly Pavlov, the former commander of the Russian army aviation, the introduction of an X-shaped tail rotor into the design of the Mi-28 made it possible to reduce noise by 15 percent compared to the Mi-24.
But it is unlikely that it will be possible to use an X-shaped propeller as a carrier, since the main rotor requires uniform distribution of the blades relative to each other with the possibility of changing their angle of attack. This makes it possible to combat the “retreating blade” effect - advancing propeller blades rotating in the direction of the helicopter's movement create greater lift than retreating ones, which leads to a sideways roll of the helicopter.
It is possible that the design of the low-noise propeller for the new helicopter will use developments similar to the European Blue Edge or Blue Pulse from Eurocopter. The essence of the first project lies in the special shape of the blades: closer to the tip, they bend in the horizontal plane in the form of a wave. The second development is a set of three aileron modules installed on the trailing edge of each of the blades. In flight, these modules perform "flapping" at a certain frequency and thereby reduce the level of noise produced by the propeller.
The likelihood of creating a helicopter propeller, similar to the "adaptive propeller" being developed today in the USA, in which the blades will be able to change geometry and other parameters during flight, is also great. This case is being handled by the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency in cooperation with Boeing, Sikorsky and Bell-Boeing. The most famous machines of these companies are AH-64D Apache Longbow, UH-60 Black Hawk and.
V-22 Osprey
According to the terms of reference, the design of the "adaptive propeller", among other things, should provide a reduction in noise by 50 percent, an increase in payload by 30 percent and an increase in flight range by 40 percent. The new propeller is planned to use a variety of technologies, including changing the angle of attack of the blades, their configuration and rotation speed. That is, the blades will receive their own mechanization, similar to that of aircraft wings.
It should be clarified here that the issue of noise is secondary for modern attack helicopters. Radar systems existing today can detect flying and hovering objects at a distance of 150-200 kilometers. For comparison: in good weather conditions, a flying helicopter can be heard at a distance of 20-30 kilometers. That is why stealth is the most important quality for a promising helicopter. To ensure it, it is necessary to use a special design of the body, composite materials and radio-absorbing coatings.
It is also unknown to this day what kind of layout scheme will be used in promising helicopters - classic or coaxial. The first, according to the military, is more reliable and gives the rotorcraft more chances to return to base after being hit by fire. At the same time, the coaxial scheme, widely used in Kamov machines, is considered more stable in control. In addition, coaxial helicopters are more maneuverable and more capable of performing the so-called funnel.
If we talk about other technical differences of the Russian fifth-generation helicopter, then, according to Andrey Shibitov, the new machine will be able to conduct air combat with aircraft and reach speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour (here, the developments made within the framework of the high-speed rotorcraft project will come in handy). As General Pavlov noted, the speed of the helicopter should be increased significantly, since "the difference between the speed of 350 and 300 km / h for air defense systems and anti-aircraft guns is not fundamental."
The armament of a promising vehicle will be completely "independent" - the pilot only needs to give the command, and the helicopter's onboard systems will do the rest. In this case, the choice of the target should be made constantly according to the pilot's pupil: exactly where he is looking will be determined by the system. For this, artificial intelligence will be needed, more accurate and powerful radars and modern means of information exchange will be required, which allow receiving target designation data from any sources - ground reconnaissance, aircraft, ships or unmanned aerial vehicles.
The use of the latter with the ability to launch from a helicopter can also be included in the list of requirements for a new generation machine. These UAVs will have to fly at some distance from the rotorcraft and perform the role of reconnaissance aircraft, notifying the pilots about the environment. Such a possibility, for example, has already been implemented on a modification being created in America. This helicopter made its first flight at the end of 2009. In the future, it will be able to receive operational information not only from its own drones, but also from the drones of the allied forces, and also, if necessary, control them.
AH-64D Apache Longbow Block III
It's up to the "small" …
In general, it seems that there is room for the imagination of Russian designers. The whole question is only whether Russia will be able to create so many technical innovations at the same time in a short time. If so, the new car will become a technical breakthrough for the country.
Financing of such a large-scale project is no less important: it is highly likely that the implementation of everything conceived without the help of the state will stretch for many years without reaching the final stage.
According to the plans of the Russian Helicopters holding, at the first stage, the company intends to independently finance the program to create an attack helicopter - from 2011 it is planned to invest a billion dollars in the project. The rest will most likely depend on the Russian Ministry of Defense: if the military is interested, monetary support will come.
