Rotor Technologies, a company that develops autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, introduced and started production of the aircraft, which it claims is “the largest uncrewed civil helicopter on the market.” VTOL, called R550X, is being developed as a versatile autonomous helicopter designed for multiple missions, derived from the US company’s Robinson R44 platform.The largest pilotless drone helicopter
The Rotor R550X can fly for more than three hours at speeds of up to 241 km/h and carry up to 550 kg of weight. The R550X will be a massive autonomous drone with enough sensors and intelligence to fly at night and in limited visibility conditions, including “instrumental meteorological conditions.” The command and control range of the vehicle is up to 16 km with a ground-based satellite communication relay and reaches 1,600 km with an airborne relay or LTE communication.
Powered by the reliable Lycoming IO-540 engine with redundant electronic engine controls, the R550X runs on conventional low-lead aviation fuel commonly referred to as “100LL”. The company also aims to achieve net-zero emissions by switching to drones powered by sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
Has powerful autonomous systems
Rotor says that since the R550X is running six different data links at once, if communications were to go down – which is unlikely – you could choose a course of action, either letting it stray and waiting for communications to reconnect, or having it return to base along a predetermined path. The vehicle comes in a flight-ready configuration for immediate flight and can be customized with a variety of mission-specific payloads and autonomous equipment.The cost-effectiveness of the Rotor R550X makes it initially suitable for the crop spraying and agricultural industry. But it will also be used for cargo deliveries to offshore platforms, firefighting missions and possibly other land-based delivery missions.
Rotor currently plans to deliver these aircraft in a state ready for immediate evaluation for a Special Airworthiness Certificate, which will allow them to fly as experimental aircraft in most countries. The company ultimately aims to obtain a type certificate from the FAA that will allow these aircraft to carry people in commercial operations. Rotor has not yet set a price, but deliveries and commercial operations are planned to begin in 2024.
https://interestingengineering.com/transportation/rotor-largest-civilian-drone-production
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