X-Wing

X-Wing Conceptual Aircraft

Background
The X-Wing is one of a number of concepts proposed to combine the hovering capabilities of the
helicopter with the speed potential of fixed wing aircraft. It uses a large-diameter four-bladed
stiff rotor system that can be stopped in flight to become an “X” wing. It has the promise of
breaking the trend of VTOL aircraft where higher speed requires higher hovering disc loadings
(weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the rotor disc, expressed as lbs./sq.ft.) Additionally
it can achieve fixed wing flight without the need for a separate wing, promising a lower weight
empty fraction (empty weight/gross weight)over those concepts that need both a rotor system
and a wing. Because of its low hovering disc loading plus the power to fly at high subsonic
speeds, a two-engined X-wing aircraft could hover and fly a good portion of its flight envelope
on only one engine.

The X-Wing concept is based on the initial work of Professor Ian Cheeseman of the University
of Southhampton, England, and his experiments with what some called a “Flying Stovepipe”.
Dr. Cheesman employed the Coanda principal to create and then modulate the lift on a
cylindrical rotor blade. The Coanda principle is that if air is blown tangentially over a surface it
will adhere and follow the surface until the curvature gets too great and it detaches. Thus it can
be used as a virtual flap on an airfoil. He believed that such a rotor could be stopped and started
in flight if used on a winged vehicle, and employed only for takeoff and landing. The rotor
would then be stopped and stowed for cruise efficiency.

Engineers at the U.S. Navy’s David W. Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center
X-Wing promised high subsonic speeds with low disc loading

(DTNSRDC) extended Professor Cheesman’s idea of lift control on a cylinder using circulation
control by blowing tangential to a rounded trailing edge of a streamlined shape similar to a
conventional airfoil. This then evolved into the X-Wing concept where circulation control
airfoils could produce lift in either direction and allow the rotor/wing to maintain lift and control
while starting and stopping rotation. In 1976 DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency) joined the Navy in X-Wing development.

Quoting the winter 1982 AIAA Student Journal in an article on the X-Wing by Robert M.
Williams, DARPA Program Manager:
“The focal point for all of the experimental and analytical work during 1976-1979 was a large-
scale flight worthy rotor and control system demonstration. A small elite team of Lockheed
engineers was formed which initially performed an aircraft preliminary design and analysis of a
small 3000 pound flight test vehicle with a 25 foot diameter rotor/wing. This design was created
in order to place the critical rotor/hub/control system development in proper perspective. Using
available small turboshaft engines, a flight
envelope of approximately Mach 0.70 at 20,000 feet would have been expected. Following the
feasibility activity, a flight worthy rotor system design and fabrication was initiated in mid-1977,
with whirl tower testing commencing in late 1978. In the spring of 1979, the test module entered
the NASA Ames 40 x 80 wind tunnel for seven weeks of exhaustive testing. During this period
the system was tested in helicopter, fixed-wing, and conversion flight modes with the moment
feedback control system in open- and closed-loop operation. More than 30 automatic rotor stops
and starts were conducted, most at 180 knots, as part of the test program” Lockheed 25 ft.
diameter wind tunnel model

From the success of these tests, DARPA and the Navy, with additional support from NASA,
decided to progress to a larger-scale flight test of the X-Wing rotor/wing. Sikorsky was
contracted in 1982 for this development, with the idea of testing the rotor/wing on the recently
delivered NASA/Army/Sikorsky RSRA (Rotor Systems Research Aircraft). The S-72 RSRA
was a unique aircraft designed solely for testing advanced helicopter rotors. It had a variable
incidence wing which could offload or overload the rotor’s lifting requirements. It had auxiliary
propulsion and drag brakes to offload or overload the rotor’s horizontal thrust requirements. It
thus would permit initial rotor/wing stopping and starting tests to be done in an orderly build-up
fashion, without requiring the rotor to support its full design lift during initial conversions.

The S-72 RSRA is described in another section of this Sikorsky Product History. See:
http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/S-72%20%28RSRA%29%20F.php

The X-wing was perhaps the most technically challenging concept Sikorsky had ever worked on.
The rotor blades have to carry lift without the conventional helicopter’s use of centrifugal force
for blade stiffening. The blades also have to be extremely stiff since two of them become
forward-swept wings in the stopped rotor flight mode. The blades have to be “double-ended”
since the blades on the retreating side of the rotor disc must fly “backwards” in stopped rotor
flight. By using the Coanda effect to control blade lift, the helicopter’s conventional mechanical
swashplate is replaced with a valving system in the pneumatic lines feeding air to the rotor
blades. The starting and stopping sequence requires complex high-frequency manipulation of
the circulation control valving system to provide controllable forces and moments during the
conversion process. This requires the latest in the state-of-the-art in computation capability to
control the process.

Other technical challenges included the design of large compressor to provide the circulation
control air, and a high energy clutch and a brake to start and stop the rotor. Hub moment
feedback was required to control the rotor in conversion. This was truly a “high-risk/high-
payoff” program. Both the technical challenges and achievement of the full aircraft potential
were major steps in the state-of-the-art.

Two design teams were established at Sikorsky. The first concentrated on developing the X-
Wing rotor/wing systems as they would be applied to a demonstrator aircraft. The second
worked on how to test these systems on the RSRA. Much detailed work was required on all the
disciplines involved. A detailed 10 foot diameter wind tunnel model was developed to optimize
the design. Testing with this model began in December, 1985 at Sikorsky. In June, 1986 it was
tested in the United Technologies large-scale wind tunnel for forward flight tests prior to the
actual RSRA flight test.
Propulsion System Test Bed with dummy blades
The entire X-Wing dynamic system was fabricated and tested on a Propulsion System Test Bed
(PSTB) at Sikorsky’s West Palm Beach Florida test facility. Initial tests used dummy blades for
development of the pnuemodynamic system from the compressor inlet to the blade root. Then
the blades were installed for a full system test.

The Vehicle Management Systems Laboratory

A Vehicle Management System Laboratory (VMSL) was created to develop the Vehicle
Management System (expanded flight control system) prior to its use on the aircraft. The four
computers were tied to a full set of aircraft sensors, hydraulics, electric power and actuation
components, as well as a fixed-base cockpit. All the aircraft instrumentation was duplicated. An
additional computer facility provided a simulation of the RSRA/X-Wing vehicle. Hundreds of
operational hours were accumulated on the system prior to the start of the flight test program.

This VMSL became the prototype for all subsequent Sikorsky flight control system integration
laboratories.

All of this came together on the RSRA test aircraft. The roll-out of the RSRA/X-wing occurred
on August 19, 1986.

RSRS/X-Wing roll out

In September 1986 the aircraft was transported, via NASA’s Super Guppy KC-97 cargo aircraft,
to NASA’s Dryden Flight Test Research Facility at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

RSRA X-Wing being loaded in the KC-97 Super Guppy

The flight test program was envisioned as a gradual buildup of the envelope. After taxi tests, the
aircraft was flown without the X-Wing blades installed to establish baseline date.

RSRA was designed to fly new rotors when they were not producing lift, and to return to base in
an emergency after the rotor blades had been severed from the rotor head. Thus it could fly as a
fixed wing airplane without a rotor. When this test occurred it was a special event for the
Sikorsky team. Igor Sikorsky spent his early career producing fixed-wing aircraft, including the
large flying boats in the 1930s. But a new Sikorsky-designed fixed-wing aircraft had not flown
in almost a half of a century

RSRA Flying in Fixed Wing Mode

The plan was to then fly it first with two rotor blades, followed by four blades, with the rotors
stopped. By mid-1987 the RSRA was scheduled to fly with the rotor/wing turning at full speed,
and by year’s end the rotor/wing was to be stopped and started in flight.

Test X-Wing Installed on the RSRA

But, that was not to be. In 1987 the Government had funding issues and higher priorities, and
decided to terminate the contract. The program was terminated due to this lack of funding rather
than for any technical issues.

Configuration Features
The composite blade/wing was substantially larger than anything Sikorsky
had previously produced.

The design and fabrication of the rotor/wing was the most difficult structural challenge. The
blades could not rely on centrifugal stiffening like a conventional helicopter since they had to
operate when the rotor was stopped. In addition, they had to be unusually stiff since when
operating as an “X” wing two of the blades were swept forward at 45º. Composites were used
to provide this extreme stiffness at an acceptable weight.

X-Wing blade compared to Sikorsky S-76

 Rotor hub flexbeam design

Rotor flexbeam manufacture

The blade manufacturing and tooling challenges were unprecedented in the rotary wing field and
involved development of a unique curing process for the very thick composite components. New
processes had to be developed to characterize the material, define the allowable void size and
establish a quality control procedure.
One of the test features of the RSRA was the ability to pyrotechnically sever the rotor blades in
case of an emergency, and to return to base as a fixed wing aircraft. It was desired to keep this
feature for X-Wing testing. Developing this system for the very thick composite flexbeams of
the X-Wing became another large development project and a great achievement for the team.
The airfoils were double-ended, with rounded leading/trailing edges so that they could produce
lift in either direction. Circulation control was used to develop and modulate lift by blowing air
out slots above the trailing edges which would attach to the surface and create virtual flaps. In
the helicopter mode this provided the cyclic pitch, and had the additional advantage of being able
to provide higher harmonic pitch which was required to control the rotor during the stopping and
starting sequences. No mechanical cyclic control was needed, although a mechanical collective
pitch mechanism was used similar to that used on conventional helicopters.

Blade cross-section with air blowing out the trailing edge

The following illustration shows the need for both leading and trailing edge blowing. In rotary
wing mode, air is blown out the trailing edges of the blades. In the fixed wing mode, two of the
blades are now flying “backwards” with blowing now required on what was the leading edge.
During conversion the aerodynamics get much more complicated, with circulation control
blowing required out of both the leading and trailing edges at the same time.

Need for both leading and trailing edge blowing

To provide the air for the circulation control system a two-stage axial compressor was used
driven off the main gearbox. This unique compressor was developed by Pratt & Whitney in
Florida. It fed air to a plenum mounted below the rotor concentric with the rotor shaft. This
was a pneumatic swashplate, with the stationary element collecting air from the compressor,
valves to control the flow, and a rotating element which passed the air out to the blades.

The circulation control valving system consisted of 48 valves, 24 for leading edge blowing and
24 for the trailing edge. Note the size of the plenum hardware in relation to the technician
working on it

Both a high energy clutch and brake were provided for the rotor starting and stopping operations.
The clutch was developed by Allison. The clutch concept became the basis of the clutch design
eventually used to manage the lift fan on the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35.
 Photo of the rotor fairing also illustrates the large size of the rotor/wing

A full authority, quad redundant, digital fly-by-wire vehicle management system was used to
control the blade aerodynamics up to the fourth harmonic with rapid response characteristics.
This was done by controlling the pneumatic control valves in the plenum as well as the
mechanical collective pitch change mechanism and the compressor. During the conversion
process it also controlled the clutch, the brake, and the positioning index system.

The revolutionary flight control computer was developed by The Hamilton Standard Division of
UTC. At the time it was the most sophisticated system of its kind other than the space shuttle.
For the prototype aircraft a convertible engine was planned which could provide both shaft

Cross section of convertible engine

power for the rotor and compressor and thrust for high speed flight, and modulate between the
two in a controlled fashion. A cross section of such an engine is shown below. In this design,
variable inlet guide vanes control the mix between shaft power and thrust.

In a concurrent effort, NASA and DARPA funded General Electric to develop the GE CEST
TF34 convertible engine. This was successfully designed and built and then tested at NASA
Lewis from 1984 to 1986. It was a modified TF-34-400B engine and produced up to 7950
pounds of thrust with the inlet guide vanes open, and 4650 shp plus 1650 pounds of thrust with
the inlet vanes fully closed. This photograph shows the engine being tested at the NASA Lewis
(now Glenn) Research Center.

General Electric TF-34 convertible engine testing at NASA Lewis

General Arrangement – RSRA X-Wing

Characteristics and Performance
The X-Wing test hardware was developed for an aircraft with the following characteristics
and performance:
Design Gross Weight 24,000 lbs.
Rotor Diameter 51 ft.
No. of Blades 4
Blade Chord 3.39 ft.
Disc Loading 12 lbs./sq.ft.

Demonstrator Aircraft Conceptual Designs

While the X-Wing hardware was being developed the design team was working on designs for
the demonstrator aircraft. Numerous approaches were investigated including the use of the
convertible engine to provide both shaft power for the X-Wing rotor and compressor and thrust
for the high-speed fixed wing mode, as shown in the first illustration of this section. Another
approach was to use conventional turboshaft engines to power both the X-Wing systems plus
conventional propellers. Such a design with pusher propellers is shown below.

Demonstrator aircraft using pusher propellers

Production Aircraft Conceptual Design

Sikorsky also looked at a number of designs for potential production aircraft. One of these was a
Navy aircraft to operate from the decks of DD963 class destroyers. X-Wing was thought to be
applicable to missions that require high speed dash combined with short loiter or hover time,
such as OTH (Over the Horizon) Targeting and Surveillance, and AFHSAR (Search and
Rescue). This aircraft used a 50 ft. diameter rotor/wing and two General Electric GE-CTSF-34
high by-pass fan engines. Gross weight was 30,000 lbs. Anti-torque was provided by a nozzle at
the tail vectoring the thrust of the engines. This design is shown below:

Naval aircraft production design

Naval aircraft general arrangement

Concluding remarks
At the time of termination the government had again reviewed the cost and risk of the program
versus the potential of the X-Wing concept. It concluded that termination was in its best interest.

Over the five years of the contract, a tremendous amount of technical work had been
accomplished and many difficult technical challenges had been resolved. The powered wind
tunnel effort, plus compressor/clutch development, vehicle management system laboratory,
system and software validation activities, composite material development, blade and rotor head
fabrication, and appropriate risk mitigation tests were accomplished in a very few short years.

At the time of termination the X-Wing technology was still in the development stage. The true
potential of the concept was not yet demonstrated in flight. Perhaps some day it will be
demonstrated and a mission capable X-Wing will enter service.

With the X-Wing program Sikorsky gained much technical experience on bearingless composite
rotors, and fly-by-wire and higher harmonic control systems, which greatly advanced these
technologies for future aircraft.

Additional Information Resources

Williams, Robert M., “X-Wing and the Navy V/STOL Initiative”, AIAA Student Journal, Winter
1982, page 26.

“X-Wing Testbed Flies in Rotorless Configuration” Aviation Week and Space Technology,
January 14, 1985

Linden, A., Biggers, J., “X-Wing Potential for Navy Applications”, American Helicopter Society
41st Annual Forum, Fort Worth, Texas, May 1985.

Prepared by:
Art Linden
Dr. Ken Rosen and
Andy Whyte
March, 2013