NASA has multiple uses for long range rotorcrafts with VTOL capability. We are in contact with NASA research groups developing concepts for fixed-wing distributed electric propulsion (DEP) and VTOL vehicles which would be enabled by our lightweight, efficient, and reliable hybrid electric propulsion system. Demonstrations of these technologies are planned in the next 2 to 3 years, and we expect that these programs will be customers for our hybrid electric propulsion system technology. A LaunchPoint Technologies hybrid propulsion system could directly be applied to long range UAVs that monitor the environment, survey landscapes, are used for telecommunication, or missions that have limited space for take-off and landing.
The technology of hybrid electric aircraft propulsion is a transformational technology that could have impacts on aircraft design for decades to come. However, as with any new technology, it will take some time for the technology to mature and the applications to be adopted. This is especially true in the field of manned aviation where there are relatively few and infrequent new designs being implemented due to the high cost of manned systems. In the short term the technology will be more readily adopted by smaller, less expensive and faster moving programs, including UAVs. These programs may use this hybrid propulsion system if VTOL or long range is important to the mission. The system could then be adopted by general aviation applications and possibly commercial jets and rotorcraft. Mark Moore and Bill Fredericks have shown that the range of the majority of daily rotorcraft flight segments is less than 200 miles. Helicopters have very poor flight efficiency while airplanes require a runway to take off. Therefore, creating a highly efficient VTOL aircraft that could hover for short periods of time, but has a longer than 200 mile range, will meet a need currently met by no other commercial aircraft. For example, almost all of the daily flights out to oil platforms would be much more efficiently met with VTOL rotorcrafts instead of helicopters.
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