The LHX Program

Stingray · Administrator

The LHX Program

Stingray · Administrator

Concepts from the Bell/McDonnell-Douglas "Super Team":

Note that the first picture is an early Bell scout-attack (SCAT) configuration with ringtail before proposing usage of the NOTAR instead (Source: "Warplanes of the Future," Bill Gunston, 1986).

Last four are from "Bell Aircraft since 1935," Alain J. Pelletier.

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 03:19:13 PM

Stingray · Administrator

More Super Team:

First pic from "Stealth Warplanes," Doug Richardson, 1989.

Last one is a proposal for combining the Bell 680 rotor technology with the McAir NOTAR.

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 03:32:40 PM

Stingray · Administrator

Hughes' older scout-attack (SCAT) proposal (pre-McDD) with swept wings and NOTAR:

Note that the last picture depicts a model illustrating an alternate shape and scimitar main rotor compared to what has often been confused to be a supersonic fighter in the earlier illustrations.

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 03:21:23 PM

Stingray · Administrator

Bell BAT (disqualified from LHX)

First two pictures from "Warplanes of the Future," Bill Gunston, 1986, others from:

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/lofiversion/index.php?t202161.html

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 03:55:14 PM

Stingray · Administrator

Boeing-Vertol SCAT proposals, pre-Boeing/Sikorsky "First Team":

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 04:19:21 PM

Stingray · Administrator

Early Sikorsky SCAT concept utilizing the Advancing Blade Concept (ABC) with coaxial rotors - the inclusion of the shrouded pusher propeller was also an option:

Cutaway drawing from Army Aviation Digest, January 1983.

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 04:31:33 PM

Stingray · Administrator

Boeing/Sikorsky "First Team" proposals:

Note the evolution from the canted V-tail to a normal fantail with tailplane above the vertical fin.

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 04:44:35 PM

Stingray · Administrator

Another picture of the early Bell SCAT configuration, and a 3-view of the Super Team concept from "Stealth Technology: The Art Of Black Magic," J. Jones:

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 04:48:35 PM

Stingray · Administrator

Also labeled as Sikorsky concepts, but I'm not sure of the timframe because they have a bit of both ideas found in the Sikorsky SCAT and later First Team proposals:

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 04:54:04 PM

Stingray · Administrator

LHX-U was the utility option proposed alongside the main concept, envisioned for usages such as medevac, cargo, and troop transport.

First one is from Super Team, the others are from First Team:

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 05:13:37 PM

Stingray · Administrator

http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1984/1984%20-%200383.html

Stingray · Administrator

Can someone identify which team this LHX concept was from? I can't read PDFs on my computer at the present moment, for some odd technical reason.

http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1983/1983%20-%201971.html?search=vfw%20AIRCRAFT%201988

Stingray · Administrator

McDonnell Douglas/Bell Textron ads for the Super Team LHX. First is from December 1988, next two are from January 1991.

Fourth one found by Flateric (love this one).

Last one is from when Hughes became McDonnell-Douglas (note the original cigar-shaped Hughes concept illustrated by the wire-frame graphics). Dated March, 1986.

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 05:25:52 PM

Stingray · Administrator

Boeing/Sikorsky First Team LHX ad, May 1990:

-- Edited by Stingray on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 05:30:06 PM

Stingray · Administrator

LHX concept art, form which design team?

Stingray · Administrator

Top: Bell/McDonnell-Douglas LHX

Bottom: Boeing/Sikorsky LHX

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%202856.html

Commander31 · Veteran Member - Level 3

Stingray wrote:
http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1984/1984%20-%200383.html

This is just an example for a general advanced attack helicopter, from Boeing-Vertol.

Stingray wrote:
LHX concept art, form which design team?

Sikorsky, but this is a submission to the X-Wing program projected to use a "convertible"-modified version of the TF34 engine.

hannetonIII · Veteran Member - Level 2

The Bell/McD-D concept appears in LHX Attack Helicopter, an awesome game. biggrin

Stingray · Administrator

Boeing/Sikorsky LHX Microwest desktop model:

Stingray · Administrator

LHX design (possibly by Boeing-Vertol) being tested in NASA's wind tunnel:

http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=e-MDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50&dq=LHX+helicopter&hl=ar&ei=Q9O-TLLMEIOaOuq1qEc&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=19&ved=0CG0Q6A
EwEg#v=onepage&q&f=true

Sidewinder · Veteran Member - Level 2

Stingray wrote:
Boeing/Sikorsky LHX Microwest desktop model:

Getting awful close to the Comanche we all know and love.

Northrop also had a submission to the LHX program in 1985, similar to some McDonnell-Douglas concepts while utilizing stopped X-Wing rotors much like Sikorsky's program.

Former Deputy Administrator

Sidewinder wrote:
Stingray wrote:
Boeing/Sikorsky LHX Microwest desktop model:

Getting awful close to the Comanche we all know and love.
Northrop also had a submission to the LHX program in 1985, similar to some McDonnell-Douglas concepts while utilizing stopped X-Wing rotors much like Sikorsky's program.

You mean this? It was a sole entry to the X-Wing program. The two engines were placed vertically on top of each other along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft's fuselage to reduce size and weight.

According to the patent, The engines provide the drive mechanism for the rotor via a common gear box, drive an air compressor utilized to provide compressed air in a controlled manner through slots formed on the blades of the X-wing, and provide the propulsive force for the aircraft. The engines are also utilized to provide pitch and yaw capability. Each engine and the core jet stream therefrom is ducted to a rectangular shaped nozzle having vectoring ﬂaps for pitch control. The vectoring flaps also act as nozzle blockers in conjunction with the left and right hand side vectoring cascades used for yaw control. Additional pitch and yaw control may be provided by a control surface formed on the underside of the aircraft fuselage forward of the lower side cascades.

It was also intended to have an ejection seat for emergency situations, though the aircraft would have to stay in fixed-wing flight or have detachable rotor-wings in order for the pilot to successfully pass the general area of the rotor disk.

The full patent is floating around somewhere in the appropriate section of this forum.

Stingray · Administrator

See US Patent #4711415 in Google Patents.

I use to have a color concept of Northrop's scout-attack X-Wing but it seems to have disappeared from my computer. I'll post it up as soon as I find it.

Former Deputy Administrator

First Team LHX/

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%202174.html?search=lhx

Former Deputy Administrator

SuperTeam LHX concept model.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%200496.html?search=lhx

Commander31 · Veteran Member - Level 3

Stingray wrote:
See US Patent #4711415 in Google Patents.
I use to have a color concept of Northrop's scout-attack X-Wing but it seems to have disappeared from my computer. I'll post it up as soon as I find it.

I've seen it elsewhere myself. If memory serves me correctly, it was the same patent drawing colored for a web site or news agency.

Stingray · Administrator

Right you are Ace, and I still can't find my copy. It might have been deleted during an information transfer between my two PCs, and I have it printed out in my "North America" volume of my binder "archives" under my bed, but not only is it complete hell to get to at the moment, but the print is in black-and-white. You're better off with the original patent drawing for now until I find a better copy of the color version.

failcopter67 · Veteran Member - Level 1

Stingray wrote:
Bell BAT (disqualified)

Why was it disqualified from the program? Did it not properly fulfil requirements being a tilt-rotor configuration?

Stingray · Administrator

The requirements were changed sometime after Bell completed the BAT (Bell Advanced Tiltrotor) mockup. It had similar provisions for internally-stored armament, but it's weight was a problem since newer LHX requirements included a weight limit of under 3150kg. The BAT was 3600kg.