Learn about this twin-rotored Russian attack military helicopter here.
TECHNOLOGY
Gadgets, Weapons, Vehicles, Spy Tools. Read about those used in The Goldilocks Game here.
HAWK EYE
Click on the picture above to step inside the headquarters of IRIS.
The I-Copter, popularly known as Hawk Eye, is a hybrid between a jet plane and a helicopter (or rotorcraft). It is based on the prototype created by Carter Aviation Technologies ("CAT").
CAT is a research and development company that pioneers new aviation ideas. Its primary focus is an aircraft known as the Carter Copter that was in R&D for 12 years before being released in 1998. The Carter Copter has a rotor for vertical take-off and landing and a small, efficient wing for high speed flight. The Carter Copter is capable of speeds of up to 500 mph.
Since 1998 the Carter Copter has been flight-tested on numerous occasions and undergone many improvements.
The Carter Copter as developed for IRIS
In topsecret talks held in the late-2000's,IRIS agreed to make available part of its huge international budget to provide financial assistance to CAT to develop a high-specification version of the Carter Copter. In return, IRIS would receive a military surveillance aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing, that would also be able to achieve speeds well in excess of the Carter Copter's top speed of 500 mph. After months of negotiations, it was agreed that the objective was to produce a hybrid aircraft capable of achieving Mach 1, at least for short bursts. This aircraft became known as the I-Copter, nicknamed Hawk Eye.
Hawk Eye features in a key action sequence in The Goldilocks Game. You can read more about it by buying the book here.
A short video showing the operation of the hybrid aircraft is available below.
WATCH THE ORIGINAL CARTER COPTER IN ACTION
With special thanks to Carter Aviation Technologies.
Used with permission.
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SCIENCE BEHIND THE I-COPTER
Blades are very efficient at providing lift at low speeds, but a rotor becomes very inefficient at high speeds because of the drag that the blades create. Conversely, wings are very efficient at high speed, but cannot provide sufficient lift at low speeds. The complementary properties of rotors and wings are used to maximise the advantages of each by having both blades and wings. In the I-Copter, as the aircraft speeds up and the wings begin producing more of the lift, the rotor produces less lift and can therefore slow down. Reducing the rotor lift by making the blades spin a fewer revolutions per minutes significantly decreases the drag on the rotor. CAT engineers have calculated that reducing the rpm by 3 causes the drag on the rotor to be reduced by 27 times.
In most aircraft, the wings' surface area is significantly larger than it needs for flying at speed. This extra surface area is necessary to provide sufficient lift to keep the aircraft airborne when it is flying slowly, for example when landing. Hawk Eye does not require such over-sized wings, because at low velocity, lift is provided by the rotor which speeds up and takes over when the aircraft is coming in to land.
Another difference between Hawk Eye and normal winged aircraft, is that most airplanes also have some type of high lift device, such as flaps. Such devices also allow the aircraft to fly more slowly, but they add weight and complexity to the wing. By contrast, Hawk Eye has very simple wings without any flaps, because the wing only needs to support the aircraft at high speeds. One advantage of such a simple design is that it increases the reliability and robustness of the system: this reduces the possibility of malfunction and the high costs of maintenance.
Hawk Eye features in a key action sequence in The Goldilocks Game. You can read more about it by buying the book here.
Learn about this twin-rotored Russian attack military helicopter here.
