CFD Simulation of Helicopter Tailboom Heating

Helicopter tailboom surfaces can present a target for infrared (IR) seeking missiles if they are heated by exhaust gases. In this paper, a commercial CFD code is used to examine the effect of two main rotor models on tailboom heating predictions and the results are compared to experimental data. The simulations show that the rotor velocity profile specification has a significant effect on tailboom heating predictions.