A DISCUSSION OF FACTORS AFFECTING HELICOPTER GROWTH

The paper examines reasons for helicopter growth, particularly in respect of weight, power and systems complexity. Growth has been represented traditionally by the need to operate at increasingly higher all up weights, initially during development and later during the in-service life of the aircraft. This is largely because of demands for improved operational capability and the development of new roles. 'Information-age' technology may partially stem this pattern. The paper discusses how advancing technologies will affect specifications for future helicopters. The paper concludes that through-life product development, and its impact on weight, is a vitally important element to be considered throughout the design process. The data used to describe GKN WHL Lynx and other helicopters has been drawn from a number of open and GKN WHL company sources.