UAVOS Completes Internal Testing of Heavy-Lift Helicopters Rotor Blades

UAVOS has extended its string of successes in developing a two-blade rotor for installation on helicopters with up to 140 kg take-off mass and rotor blade diameter of 3200 mm. Designed especially for their heavy-lift helicopter program, the all-composite blades are keen to help meet the requirement to extend aircraft performance at high elevations and temperatures, increase fuel efficiency, and reduce maintenance costs.

The main rotor blades underwent some internal tests including ground, hover, and flight evaluations. Ground tests completed to date included spinning of the blades on whirl towers to measure balance, and initial fatigue tests to determine structural strength. Blade qualification testing will continue in an independent laboratory to include stress and fatigue tests, additional low and high temperature testing, and ultimate load tests.

To date, the UAVOS team has conducted several test flights with the rotor blades that included hover, traffic pattern flight, and an up-and-away flight to 1000 meters at 100 km/h (54 knots).

The state-of-the-art carbon main rotor blades are produced with the latest carbon multi-cross-layer technology using a curing oven. Due to gluing an all-metal edging into the leading edge, the blades have increased wear resistance under severe weather conditions, doubling the product’s operating life.