FLIGHT TESTING KAMAN AEROSPACE CORPORATION’S COMPOSITE MAIN ROTOR BLADE

The composite main rotor blade (CMRB) was developed and is produced by Kaman Aerospace Corporation for use on its SH-2G Super Seasprite naval helicopter. It will be part of the SH-2G aircraft that are to be delivered to the Australian and New Zealand navies. This rotor blade was first developed in 1987 under an U.S. Navy funded upgrade for the SH-2F helicopter. Although never incorporated in the SH-2F aircraft, this 1987 version provided the basis for development and improvement in a 1996 CMRB development program. This composite rotor blade went through two more development and test programs in 1998, being qualified for production delivery on Kaman’s current production helicopters. This composite rotor blade is known as the Composite Main Rotor Blade II (CMRB II). CMRBII has demonstrated better hover performance, improved stall boundary, and increased autorotation gross weight by approximately 8%, and increased lift capability by 5%, as compared to the original -101metal blade.