Tyrandis
09-03-2005, 02:16
VTA-68 Lancet Multirole Helicopter
http://avia.russian.ee/vertigo/foto/mcdonnell_lhx_2.jpg
History
In the year 1996, a comprehensive project to develop a replacement for the long-obsolete Soviet-era Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter was conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in tandem with Kotoko Aircraft Corporation. Preliminary studies indicated that the old paradigm of large, armored gunships roaming the skies would be rendered impotent by the next generation of Air Defense Systems, meaning that this new rotary aircraft would need to be lighter, stealthier, and faster. After a development period of four years and 80.6 billion dollars USD, DARPA and KAC completed the first prototype, with the designation VTA-68 (VerTical Attack - No. 68), with an official nickname of "Lancet".
Technical Data:
Type: Attack/Reconnaisance Helicopter
Contractor: Kotoko Aircraft Corporation
Personnel: 2 (Pilot, Weapons Service Officer)
Systems/Avionics:
The VTA-68 Lancet helicopter uses the "Grassblade" avionics architecture, designed for use with general rotary-wing aircraft. It can be split into several major components: the central processor, navigation suite, communications system, fire control, optics and target ID, and pilot controls/displays. Grassblade is a triple-redundant, "self-repairing" design whose complexity is such that it can automatically compensate for the failure of an individual element. Instead of traditional redundancy-only safeguards, Grassblade is capable of completely reconfiguring its protocols to minimize the impact of a single malfunction.
Sensors
Lancet incorporates a 5th Generation acquisition suite, designed to find targets under any conditions. Over the various subsystems is a Sensor Management Master, which carries out synchronization of data, high-speed analysis and correlation of the imaging to the pilot. Computer-driven functions of the SMM include automatic target tracking and target threat management. The analyzed data is presented to the crew in the cockpit displays or transmitted to other elements of the force via Joint Tactical Information Distribution System readouts, providing direct relay of near real time intelligence.
CPAS-3 - Electro-Optic gunner sight, mounted in the mast, which comprises the following: target acquisition and designation system, including solid-state TV sensor, laser rangefinder/designator and InGaAs (Indium-Gallium-Arsenide) shortwave FLIR (Forward-Looking-Infrared). The InGaAs component is a proven concept that relies on lightwaves operating in near-infared regions to effectively strip away any camoflague measures a target might use.
http://images.pennnet.com/articles/mae/cap/cap_166207.jpg
NOCST-15 - Noctural operations imaging system, that relies on passive amplification of ambient light to give the VTA-68 Lancet Attack Helicopter pilot a full field of vision under all conditions.
---
Vehicle Control
VACS Mk. Ib - Aircraft control system, composed of an advanced Fly-By-Light scheme that is made up of fiber-optic cables just nanometers thick. The system primarily gives the VTA-68 Lancet far superior stability to any legacy fly-by-wire system, due to the EMI resistant properties of the transfer system. Traditionally, rotary-wing aircraft have had serious problems with reliability due to FBW's susceptibility to electro-magnetic interference; the VACS Mk. Ib does away with this vulnerability completely. The sophisticated design of the helicopter allows it to dash to a speed of 175 knots. The propulsion and navigation qualities of the VACS Mk. Ib also gives the VTA-68 capability to execute snap turns in 4.5 seconds and fly sideways or backwards at 70 mph.
AVLO "Chameleon" Smart Skin - This is a visual camouflage system that is meshed with the exterior carbon-nanotube skin. Through use of a number of minature photo-receptors that are mounted throughout the aircraft, the AVLO first takes in the overall color that surrounds the aircraft and processes it. It then transfers this data to the fiber-optics that are embedded in the aircraft's skin, which is manipulated by a separate computer. The AVLO then changes the color of these light-sensitive diodes to match the VTA-68's surroundings, rendering the helicopter virtually invisible against any neutral background (sky, ocean).
---
Stealth
Traditionally, helicopter assault units have been extremely vulnerable to Surface-to-Air fire of all kinds, even from munitions designed for anti-tank roles (see: UH-60 Blackhawk and RPG wielding insurgents in Somalia, circa 1993). The primary vulnerability of rotary-wing planes is that they can be detected and thus destroyed from a relatively large distance, and thus, the VTA-68 Lancet was designed to be as difficult to find, and thus kill, as possible.
The RAH-66 Comanche made extensive use of Radar-Absorbent-Materials in its construction, giving it a resulting RCS of roughly ½ the size of its Hellfire ATGM. The VTA-68 takes the RAM concept a step further, creating what the Defense Advanced Projects Agency calls a “Radar Absorbent Structure”. The Lancet’s frame is manufactured of honeycombed Kevlar sections, treated with a proprietary glaze based on carbon, and then bonded to aramid/carbon fiber skins on its front and back, creating a rigid panel. The honeycombs are three centimeters in length, and incoming RADAR waves are absorbed. The RAS panels are fitted around the helicopter’s armor plating wherever feasible. Testing of the RAS indicated that the material could dependably absorb RADAR of all frequencies higher than 10 MHz, giving the VTA-68 Lancet a cross-section of slighly less than a third of the U.S. Army stealth helicopter’s.
As important as RCS reduction is to the survivability of the Lancet, the VTA-68’s IR signature needed to be addressed as well. Every measure that Kotoko could make in its design to reduce the amount of radiated heat was done, and then some. The helicopter has merely an eighth of the engine heat of standard helicopters, a critical survivability design concern in a low-flying tactical assault unit. The VTA-68 relies on an integrated IR suppression system, mounted inside the airframe itself. The design feature provides IR suppressors that are built into the ducted exhaust system, providing ample length for complete and efficient mixing of engine exhaust and cooling air flowing through inlets above the tail. The mixed exhaust is discharged through slots built into an inverted shelf on the sides of the tail-boom. The gases are thus cooled to the point where most IR sensors will be unable to detect the Lancet’s signature.
Acoustic detection of the VTA-68 was not neglected, and an innovative NOTAR (No Tail Rotor) scheme was implemented for the Lancet. In the system a variable-pitch axial fan is located at the front of the tail boom to drive air through the boom. There it exhausts through slots along the boom to produce a Coanda effect which stabilizes the torque caused by the VTA-68 Lancet Attack Helicopter's five-bladed main rotor.
---
Cockpit:
http://images.abovetopsecret.com/stick.gif
http://images.abovetopsecret.com/hidds.gif
The Helmet Integrated Display and Sight System (HIDSS) is a biocular helmet-mounted display for flight information and night vision sensors and a sight system for use with weapons. Each crewmember's helmet provides acoustic and impact protection as well as a magnetic helmet tracker on a removable frame. The HIDSS also combines flight symbology with sensor images to improve noctural combat capabilities of the VTA-68 Lancet.
Display: Biocular 53x30 deg LCD high resolution tester with a 1023 line rate.
Canopy
The canopy is manufactured of an advanced polycarbonate, backed by a rubber insulation layer and a thin strip of an indium-tin alloy. It is slanted to reduce optical glint from the sun.
Traditionally, the cockpit has been the most problematic area for advanced stealth designers; because RADAR waves passes through the canopy as if it were transparent, an especially strong signal will bounce back to its receiver because any aircraft interior contains angles and shape that generate a substantial return. The InSn coating allows over 98.5% of visible light to pass through to the pilot, but will appear on RADAR as a semi-metallic surface, thus further reducing the VTA-68's already microscopic RCS.
Airframe:
The VTA-68 Lancet is manufactured of an immensely strong composite sandwich of a polylanaline derivative, carbon fiber, and titanium intended to withstand fire from a standard 30mm gun, such as a Gsh cannon.
Powerplant:
2x Mk. 15 1,600 SHP hybrid electric/gas turbines
Weights:
Empty: 8,150 lbs
Standard: 11,200 lbs
Range:
520.6 kilometers
Maximum Speed:
300 km/hr cruise, 335 km/hr dash.
Armament:
Six internal hardpoints mounted in the sponson/wings, eight optional exterior hardpoints mounted on an Enhanced Fuel and Armament Management platform, capable of holding unguided rockets, ATGMs, or IR-guided AAMs.
Dragonbane:
http://www.voodoo.cz/ah64/u/sm230.gif
The TCIGM-1 "Dragonbane" is a 30 millimetre cannon designed for use in the VTA-68 Lancet Multirole Attack Helicopter. It is a potent anti-tank weapon, firing lethal shells at a rate of 600 rounds per minute.
The ammunition that Dragonbane uses is a patented Tyrandisan innovation. Dragonbane's projectile is surrounded with a high density molded propellant charge, enclosing the assembly in a cylindrical titanium case. When the round is fired, a small charge located immediately behind the cannon round accelerates it into the TCIGM-1's barrel before the main charge ignites. The result of this unorthodox firing approach is a gun with a muzzle velocity of over 3,100 ft/sec, as compared to the American M230's performance of 2,600 ft/s.
Guidance for Dragonbane is coupled to the WSO's HIDSS and the sensor system. Integrated software in the helmet instantly directs the gunner's attention to whatever track the various EO sensors detect, making it a simple matter of pulling the trigger when a target is identified.
http://avia.russian.ee/vertigo/foto/mcdonnell_lhx_1.jpg
Price for export: $42,000,000 USD
http://avia.russian.ee/vertigo/foto/mcdonnell_lhx_2.jpg
History
In the year 1996, a comprehensive project to develop a replacement for the long-obsolete Soviet-era Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter was conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in tandem with Kotoko Aircraft Corporation. Preliminary studies indicated that the old paradigm of large, armored gunships roaming the skies would be rendered impotent by the next generation of Air Defense Systems, meaning that this new rotary aircraft would need to be lighter, stealthier, and faster. After a development period of four years and 80.6 billion dollars USD, DARPA and KAC completed the first prototype, with the designation VTA-68 (VerTical Attack - No. 68), with an official nickname of "Lancet".
Technical Data:
Type: Attack/Reconnaisance Helicopter
Contractor: Kotoko Aircraft Corporation
Personnel: 2 (Pilot, Weapons Service Officer)
Systems/Avionics:
The VTA-68 Lancet helicopter uses the "Grassblade" avionics architecture, designed for use with general rotary-wing aircraft. It can be split into several major components: the central processor, navigation suite, communications system, fire control, optics and target ID, and pilot controls/displays. Grassblade is a triple-redundant, "self-repairing" design whose complexity is such that it can automatically compensate for the failure of an individual element. Instead of traditional redundancy-only safeguards, Grassblade is capable of completely reconfiguring its protocols to minimize the impact of a single malfunction.
Sensors
Lancet incorporates a 5th Generation acquisition suite, designed to find targets under any conditions. Over the various subsystems is a Sensor Management Master, which carries out synchronization of data, high-speed analysis and correlation of the imaging to the pilot. Computer-driven functions of the SMM include automatic target tracking and target threat management. The analyzed data is presented to the crew in the cockpit displays or transmitted to other elements of the force via Joint Tactical Information Distribution System readouts, providing direct relay of near real time intelligence.
CPAS-3 - Electro-Optic gunner sight, mounted in the mast, which comprises the following: target acquisition and designation system, including solid-state TV sensor, laser rangefinder/designator and InGaAs (Indium-Gallium-Arsenide) shortwave FLIR (Forward-Looking-Infrared). The InGaAs component is a proven concept that relies on lightwaves operating in near-infared regions to effectively strip away any camoflague measures a target might use.
http://images.pennnet.com/articles/mae/cap/cap_166207.jpg
NOCST-15 - Noctural operations imaging system, that relies on passive amplification of ambient light to give the VTA-68 Lancet Attack Helicopter pilot a full field of vision under all conditions.
---
Vehicle Control
VACS Mk. Ib - Aircraft control system, composed of an advanced Fly-By-Light scheme that is made up of fiber-optic cables just nanometers thick. The system primarily gives the VTA-68 Lancet far superior stability to any legacy fly-by-wire system, due to the EMI resistant properties of the transfer system. Traditionally, rotary-wing aircraft have had serious problems with reliability due to FBW's susceptibility to electro-magnetic interference; the VACS Mk. Ib does away with this vulnerability completely. The sophisticated design of the helicopter allows it to dash to a speed of 175 knots. The propulsion and navigation qualities of the VACS Mk. Ib also gives the VTA-68 capability to execute snap turns in 4.5 seconds and fly sideways or backwards at 70 mph.
AVLO "Chameleon" Smart Skin - This is a visual camouflage system that is meshed with the exterior carbon-nanotube skin. Through use of a number of minature photo-receptors that are mounted throughout the aircraft, the AVLO first takes in the overall color that surrounds the aircraft and processes it. It then transfers this data to the fiber-optics that are embedded in the aircraft's skin, which is manipulated by a separate computer. The AVLO then changes the color of these light-sensitive diodes to match the VTA-68's surroundings, rendering the helicopter virtually invisible against any neutral background (sky, ocean).
---
Stealth
Traditionally, helicopter assault units have been extremely vulnerable to Surface-to-Air fire of all kinds, even from munitions designed for anti-tank roles (see: UH-60 Blackhawk and RPG wielding insurgents in Somalia, circa 1993). The primary vulnerability of rotary-wing planes is that they can be detected and thus destroyed from a relatively large distance, and thus, the VTA-68 Lancet was designed to be as difficult to find, and thus kill, as possible.
The RAH-66 Comanche made extensive use of Radar-Absorbent-Materials in its construction, giving it a resulting RCS of roughly ½ the size of its Hellfire ATGM. The VTA-68 takes the RAM concept a step further, creating what the Defense Advanced Projects Agency calls a “Radar Absorbent Structure”. The Lancet’s frame is manufactured of honeycombed Kevlar sections, treated with a proprietary glaze based on carbon, and then bonded to aramid/carbon fiber skins on its front and back, creating a rigid panel. The honeycombs are three centimeters in length, and incoming RADAR waves are absorbed. The RAS panels are fitted around the helicopter’s armor plating wherever feasible. Testing of the RAS indicated that the material could dependably absorb RADAR of all frequencies higher than 10 MHz, giving the VTA-68 Lancet a cross-section of slighly less than a third of the U.S. Army stealth helicopter’s.
As important as RCS reduction is to the survivability of the Lancet, the VTA-68’s IR signature needed to be addressed as well. Every measure that Kotoko could make in its design to reduce the amount of radiated heat was done, and then some. The helicopter has merely an eighth of the engine heat of standard helicopters, a critical survivability design concern in a low-flying tactical assault unit. The VTA-68 relies on an integrated IR suppression system, mounted inside the airframe itself. The design feature provides IR suppressors that are built into the ducted exhaust system, providing ample length for complete and efficient mixing of engine exhaust and cooling air flowing through inlets above the tail. The mixed exhaust is discharged through slots built into an inverted shelf on the sides of the tail-boom. The gases are thus cooled to the point where most IR sensors will be unable to detect the Lancet’s signature.
Acoustic detection of the VTA-68 was not neglected, and an innovative NOTAR (No Tail Rotor) scheme was implemented for the Lancet. In the system a variable-pitch axial fan is located at the front of the tail boom to drive air through the boom. There it exhausts through slots along the boom to produce a Coanda effect which stabilizes the torque caused by the VTA-68 Lancet Attack Helicopter's five-bladed main rotor.
---
Cockpit:
http://images.abovetopsecret.com/stick.gif
http://images.abovetopsecret.com/hidds.gif
The Helmet Integrated Display and Sight System (HIDSS) is a biocular helmet-mounted display for flight information and night vision sensors and a sight system for use with weapons. Each crewmember's helmet provides acoustic and impact protection as well as a magnetic helmet tracker on a removable frame. The HIDSS also combines flight symbology with sensor images to improve noctural combat capabilities of the VTA-68 Lancet.
Display: Biocular 53x30 deg LCD high resolution tester with a 1023 line rate.
Canopy
The canopy is manufactured of an advanced polycarbonate, backed by a rubber insulation layer and a thin strip of an indium-tin alloy. It is slanted to reduce optical glint from the sun.
Traditionally, the cockpit has been the most problematic area for advanced stealth designers; because RADAR waves passes through the canopy as if it were transparent, an especially strong signal will bounce back to its receiver because any aircraft interior contains angles and shape that generate a substantial return. The InSn coating allows over 98.5% of visible light to pass through to the pilot, but will appear on RADAR as a semi-metallic surface, thus further reducing the VTA-68's already microscopic RCS.
Airframe:
The VTA-68 Lancet is manufactured of an immensely strong composite sandwich of a polylanaline derivative, carbon fiber, and titanium intended to withstand fire from a standard 30mm gun, such as a Gsh cannon.
Powerplant:
2x Mk. 15 1,600 SHP hybrid electric/gas turbines
Weights:
Empty: 8,150 lbs
Standard: 11,200 lbs
Range:
520.6 kilometers
Maximum Speed:
300 km/hr cruise, 335 km/hr dash.
Armament:
Six internal hardpoints mounted in the sponson/wings, eight optional exterior hardpoints mounted on an Enhanced Fuel and Armament Management platform, capable of holding unguided rockets, ATGMs, or IR-guided AAMs.
Dragonbane:
http://www.voodoo.cz/ah64/u/sm230.gif
The TCIGM-1 "Dragonbane" is a 30 millimetre cannon designed for use in the VTA-68 Lancet Multirole Attack Helicopter. It is a potent anti-tank weapon, firing lethal shells at a rate of 600 rounds per minute.
The ammunition that Dragonbane uses is a patented Tyrandisan innovation. Dragonbane's projectile is surrounded with a high density molded propellant charge, enclosing the assembly in a cylindrical titanium case. When the round is fired, a small charge located immediately behind the cannon round accelerates it into the TCIGM-1's barrel before the main charge ignites. The result of this unorthodox firing approach is a gun with a muzzle velocity of over 3,100 ft/sec, as compared to the American M230's performance of 2,600 ft/s.
Guidance for Dragonbane is coupled to the WSO's HIDSS and the sensor system. Integrated software in the helmet instantly directs the gunner's attention to whatever track the various EO sensors detect, making it a simple matter of pulling the trigger when a target is identified.
http://avia.russian.ee/vertigo/foto/mcdonnell_lhx_1.jpg
Price for export: $42,000,000 USD