A single-rotor helicopter with a jet control system has been invented in Russia. According to the authors' idea, the rotorcraft is controlled in pitch, roll, and yaw by jet nozzles, rather than rotor mechanics. The patent has already been registered in the FIPS database.
The prospective helicopter will have two tail booms with internal air ducts. Impellers or a power fan are installed inside the fuselage, which force the flow to the controlled nozzles at the ends of the booms.
These nozzles create the necessary control moments, allowing for the complete elimination of the swashplate and tail rotor.
Additionally, engineers propose placing slotted supercirculation nozzles on the booms. They blow air along the surface of the tail and compensate for the reactive torque of the main rotor, reducing energy consumption and increasing the stability of the aircraft.
The patent provides for two versions — with a direct electric drive for the main rotor and with an internal combustion engine and transmission. Both options simplify the rotor system, increase service life, and improve the reliability of the helicopter.
This is not the first unusual domestic development in the field of helicopter construction. It recently became known that the design of a helicopter with a turbine drive for the main rotor has been patented in the Russian Federation.