Abstract:
In the pursuit of High-Speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing (HSVTOL) platforms, VerdeGo Aero offers its VH-5 hybrid-electric turbofan as the answer to missions requiring high power, vertical lift, and jet-like speeds. To evaluate the possibility of designing a real HSVTOL aircraft around VerdeGo's VH-5 powerplant, this paper investigates the size and expected performance of a militarized spinoff of NASA's Class B, High-Efficiency Civil TiltRotor (HECTR) concept, which has been renamed the VerdeGo Hybrid-Electric Combative TiltRotor, or "VHECTR" for short. Through an in-depth conceptual weight buildup of four commonly proposed tiltrotor architectures, this paper suggests that an entirely new, turbofan-driven propulsion system is needed if modern day HSVTOL demands are to be met. Hence, a separate, yet more conventional "Modified HECTR" tiltrotor configuration is considered to contest the proposed, VH-5 powered VHECTR concept. However, the results of a full-scale aircraft comparison, aerodynamic analysis, and mission analysis alongside the V-22 Osprey indicate the VHECTR concept is more HSVTOL mission capable with greater time and fuel savings than any advanced tiltrotor system to date.