The CT7 turboshaft engine will allow the passengers of a small aircraft to be transported at a distance of up to 1000 km.
According to the Lockheed Martin official website, aerospace company Sikorsky and military-industrial giant Lockheed Martin have signed an agreement where they will work together to build the first HEX hybrid-electric prototype. It will be a fully autonomous vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) prototype, which is planned to be tested as a kind of “air taxi” not only for civilian but also for military purposes.
It is planned that various technologies of the two companies will be tested on the prototype in order to create an already working model that will form the basis of the production cycle of such aircraft in the near future.
The engine of the prototype was entrusted to Aerospace, which proposed to install a turboshaft engine CT7 as an experiment. The power plant of the model will be equipped with a 1 MW generator, and all the innovations proposed for the prototype are already used by both NASA and the US Army.
As for the autonomy of the control, it’s up to Sikorsky to integrate the MATRIX system into a future prototype. This autonomous system has proven itself in the decades since it has been used in a variety of aircraft, including the Black Hawk military helicopter, which can do without pilot control.
Previously Focus He wrote that the eVTOL air taxi broke the record by flying 250 km: so it was possible.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.