Close up with @BellFlight 360 Invictus contender for @USArmy Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft - the full-scale mock-up at Bell’s Flight Research Center in Arlington, Texas
1 - Tandem-seat airframe for low drag. Bell aims to exceed Army’s 180kt threshold speed requirement
1 - Tandem-seat airframe for low drag. Bell aims to exceed Army’s 180kt threshold speed requirement
2 - ducted multiblade anti-torque tailrotor for low drag and noise - canted to provide extra lift in the hover
3 - active horizontal tail to minimize airfraft nose-up attitude and reduce drag in forward flight
4 - to achieve high speed, single 3,000shp @GEAviation T901 is augmented by a @prattandwhitney PW207 supplemental power unit mounted on the right side - both engines exhaust through the same IR suppressor on right side of fuselage
5 - at 180kt, the wing carries 50% of the lift, offloading the rotor and increasing its efficiency. Wing will be removable or foldable for C-17 air-transportability
6 - fully articulated, high-flapping rotor is based on Bell 525 rotor, but with shorter, wider blades. Drag-reducing hub shroud moves blade root further out, reducing twist and making composite blade easier to manufacture
7 - for design armed-scout mission, all “air-launched effects” - weapons and UAVs - are carried internally for low drag. Stores can be carried externally on wing in “beast mode”. Gear retractable for low drag.
