Chinese Aviation Industry

plawolf

plawolf

Lieutenant General
t2contra said:
Nothing to counter the torque reaction?
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There appears to be 4 engine pods linking each of the 4 stub wings to the main body, with the exhaust nozzles pointing outwards are around a 45 degree angle.

The engines that could be housed in those pods would be too small to be able to offer much in the way of direct thrust to aid hover or conventional flight (there appears to be two large engines or boosters built into the main core of the body for that), so I think those 4 engine pods are intended for directional control, which could be used to counter the torque of the main rotorblades.

Overall, I am very impressed with this design.

Seems very innovative and based on sound engineering principles, not to mention looking damn cool.

The only things I might have done differently was to install an IRST sensor turret on the nosecone (which to be fair, seems to be depicted in the bottom right small insert on the first picture), and reverse the positioning of the main rotorblade and wings/directional control thrusters.

By having the rotor at the bottom, you gain the ability to fire the rocket pods and missiles while in conventional fight, rather than having to drop into a hover before you can engage hostiles.

The downside to my suggested design change is that you will need to completely stop the rotors in order to rearm and refuel it, and the thing would be a lot more dangerous to work around while it is landed and the engine is still running.

Alternatively, keep the current configuration, loose or relocate the main thrusters in the centreline body, and stick the sensor turret on the bottom.

You take off as normal, but them rapidly reverse the direction of the rotors after reaching a safe altitude so that while in conventional flight mode, you are flying with the landing legs in front, giving your weapons (and sensor turret) an unobstructed line of sight and firing arch.

When coming in to hover mode for combat, the UAV would pretty much remain upside-down, and only revert back to its normal orientation when it is back at its homebase and ready to land again (which, with the main sensor turret on the bottom, would incidentally also give the operator the best view to aid landing).
 
Quickie

Quickie

Colonel
lcloo said:
The rotors on the right side and left side may moved in different directions, thus cancelling each others'.
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They are probably talking about the top picture.

I figure the counter rotating rotors could be housed within the body of the vehicle where the 4 fin like extensions are. There seem to be air inlets at the top of the fins that feeds the counter rotating rotors. I would imagine the downward thrust that is created are diverted through exhaust nozzles at the bottom of the fins for directional control. To increase the surface areas of the counter rotating rotors, there would have to be a multiple of them like turbine blades.

There seems to be air inlets and exhaust outlets for additional counter rotating rotors at the top too.
 
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Quickie

Quickie

Colonel
SamuraiBlue said:
You don't actually need rotating blades it could be a fly wheel but that said it really becomes heavy with this option.
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A flywheel won't do because it would have to keep on accelerating to create a counter force. The counter rotating rotor or device have to generate a force by interacting with something external of the flying vehicle, which logically should be the surrounding air.
 
I

I wonder

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More on the proposal/deal to manufacture MA60s in Russia
Chinese Investors Sign for MA-60 Line in Russia
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- September 9, 2015, 9:00 AM

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The Xian Aircraft MA-60 traces its design to the Antonov An-24. (Photo: Ollivier)
Chinese investors last week signed a “framework agreement” with Russia’s ministry for development of eastern regions (MinVostokRazvitia) to establish a new assembly line in the Russian city of Komsomolsk-upon-Amur for Xian Aircraft’s MA-60 turboprop. Timed to coincide with Russian president Vladimir Putin’s September 2-3 visit to Beijing, the deal involves a partnership between Xian Aircraft and the Jiangsu Baoli International Investment company to help fund the production of 50 aircraft a year.

“This aircraft is oriented for export into sixteen countries, including Russia,” said Alexander Galushka, Russia’s minister for eastern development. Plans call for building a production line in the TOR Komsomolsk industrial zone. The Chinese investors–represented in Beijing by Xian chairman Fang Yunfeng and Jiangsu Baoli president Zhou Dehong–expect to spend $100 million on the project. According to Zhou, the project calls for two phases of development, the first involving final assembly and then for gradual localization of parts production.

The MA-60 “Modern Ark” is a regional turboprop based on the 48-seat Antonov An-24, whose more than one-thousand-unit production run ended in 1979. Since 2000, Xian has assembled about 80 Modern Arks, including a handful of 60-seat MA-600s powered by Pratt&Whitney PW127J engines and featuring Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. The Chinese investors believe ailing Russian airlines could affordably replace their outdated An-24/26s with MA-60s. “The decrease in the value of the ruble to other currencies has led to notable changes in the economic conditions in Russia, making them more favorable to foreign investors,” minister Galushka said. Officials see the MA-60 as an alternative to the now stalled Rostec-Bombardier plan to build Q400s turboprops in Russia, following the imposition of Canadian sanctions over Russia’s annexation of Crimea and alleged military support of Ukrainian separatists. Russian aerospace conglomerate UAChas urged the Kremlin to provide funds for the 64-seat Ilyushin Il-114-300, but the treasury now finds itself short of cash as a result of the economic slump in Russia.

Meanwhile, the inability of the Russian industry to produce competitive turboprops in sufficient numbers has encouraged Chinese manufacturers to develop competing products aimed at a market expected to generate a demand for 400 units. At the recent MAKS’2015 air show in Moscow, the 19-seat Xian Y-12F, powered by P&WC PT6A-65B turboprops, flew daily, and its manufacturer appointed FlyAvia an official dealer in Russia and CIS. China’s AVIC also displayed a mockup of the new MA-700, a 78- to 86-seat turboprop described as a “100 percent new development.”

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AssassinsMace

AssassinsMace

Lieutenant General
I think that concept is easy arithmetic. If you look at commercial drones, the four propeller design have created a stable platform that makes it easy to use for novices. Ever see those early flying contraptions people thought of before the Wright brothers' first flight? I'm sure whoever that flying car concept belongs to will attempt it. And they'll probably have to innovate to make it more practical. That's really the point.
 
SamuraiBlue

SamuraiBlue

Captain
Quickie said:
A flywheel won't do because it would have to keep on accelerating to create a counter force. The counter rotating rotor or device have to generate a force by interacting with something external of the flying vehicle, which logically should be the surrounding air.
Click to expand...
No since a flying wheel creates angular acceleration which counters the rotor's own angular motion. As I have said it going to be heavy to counter the force though.
Try studying how gyros work. It has nothing to do with the air that drags along with the rotating surface since it works in a vacuum.
 
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