Turbines have an excellent power to weight ratio and as such are the reason is why they are used for helicopters where weight is a critical factor. Nevertheless, their fuel efficiency compared to diesel piston engines is extremely poor, especially for smaller platforms. The diesel piston engine consumes +/- 60% less fuel compared to a turbine with similar specifications and produces up to 40% less CO2 than standard turbine helicopters. Continue reading
Category Archives: OPA
Marine Corps General wants Optionally Manned Helicopter
The US Marine Corps’ portion of the future vertical lift programme will be an optionally manned platform, the service’s deputy commandant for aviation says. Continue reading
MALE OPA Jointly Developed by Germany and Qatar
A prototype of Q01 MALE (medium-altitude, long endurance) optionally-piloted aircraft was introduced at the ILA Berlin Air Show 2016 held in June 2016. It is a joint development programme between Germany and Qatar.
Lancair Evolution to Become an OPA
Spectral Sky is tapping the capabilities of experimental amateur-built kit airplanes to fill the need for lower-cost manned and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for aerial data collection, real-time reconnaissance and data delivery for commercial and government customers. Spectral Sky is a commercial spin-off of Unmanned Systems, which does contracting on larger government UAS programs. Continue reading
MALE OPV at ILA Berlin Air Show 2016
Volz Extends Range to Include OPV Solutions
Volz is expanding its market foothold to optionally piloted vehicles (OPV). Several electro-mechanical clutches available for Volz products starting with the DA 26 Volz cover a wide range of OPV applications.
Sikorsky Tests OPA Version of Black Hawk
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk has been a staple of U.S. military operations going back more than 30 years, but the Pentagon is now closer than ever to ditching one of the iconic chopper’s most important components: the pilot. Continue reading