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AgustaWestland’s Project Zero Tilt Rotor Aircraft
Besides advanced fighter planes and massive cargo and passenger aircrafts visitors to the Paris Air Show also got to see an aircraft that looks like something straight out of a Hollywood sci-fi movie. That aircraft is ‘Project Zero', a tiltrotor aircraft prototype by Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland.
Tiltrotor
aircrafts
are
nothing
new.
Bell
Boeing
V-22
Osprey
used
by
the
U.S
military
is
one
of
the
more
well
known
model.
‘Project
Zero'
is
different
from
the
rest
because
it
is
the
first
all
electric
tilt
rotor
aircraft.
The
demonstration
model
showcased
at
the
show
was
developed
in
just
6
months
by
AgustaWestland,
in
collaboration
with
several
other
companies
from
the
UK,
USA
and
Japan.
The futuristic look is part of the energy efficient design, where the whole body acts like a wing. Like any other tiltrotor Project Zero can hover like a helicopter and fly like a fixed wing aircraft. The rotors can tilt more than 90 degrees in flight mode.
Apart from aluminium, the aircraft's exterior surface is made from high strength, lightweight carbon graphite.
Another first is the zero reliance on hydraulics. All the mechanics, from the retractable landing gear to the rotor tilting mechanism to the elevons are controlled by Electromechanical actuators.
The various electric motors derive their power from rechargeable batteries, while a diesel based hybrid system has also been tested. The developers have even come up with a simple and novel way to recharge the batteries. When on the ground, the rotors can be tilted to face the wind, turning them into a windmill that generate power.
An advanced project such as this has to have a good reason and it has more to it than just going green. A conventional helicopter or tilt rotor aircraft requires oxygen to burn fuel. This basic requirement restricts their max operating altitude or in a highly polluted environment low in oxygen, such as during a volcanic eruption. This is when an electric aircraft like ‘Project Zero' shines.