This Phase I effort adds breadth to the body of knowledge for hybrid-electric propulsion considerations specific to rotorcraft designs. These designs may have potential in benefitting NRA projects and direct NASA efforts, both internal and external. The nuances of adopting hybrid-electric propulsion have already been somewhat identified, and this efforts seeks to gain some ground in developing the same sensitivity for rotorcraft. With the development of the processes that enable the hybrid-electric rotorcraft to be analyzed and compared to baseline configurations, the potential direction of future design tools will be narrowed. Once the basics of hybrid-electric rotorcraft design and analysis are better understood, a wider variety of propulsion architectures can also be investigated. Once the analysis is better understood, more ground can be broken for investigating sizing methods, structural analysis and health monitoring considerations that have already been initiated for fixed wing designs.
The knowledge gained from this Phase I effort can help to support other companies in their hybrid-electric designs studies. As the industry pushes towards investigating hybrid-electric and all-electric designs, with the development of new technologies for electric components and batteries, an understanding of how these technologies are to be integrated and analyzed is required. The results of this effort may also guide aerospace primes and AFRL toward the identification of feasible hybrid-electric and all-electric rotorcraft architectures. The trade studies can serve to inform component manufacturers on how their technology would affect the leading edge of hybrid-electric and all-electric rotorcraft designs to guide future development.
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