Modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft

Inventors: John Robert Wittmaak, Jr. (Newark, TX); Steven M. Loveland (Fort Worth, TX); Joshua Allan Edler (Bedford, TX); Alan Hisashi Steinert (Fort Worth, TX); Stephen Yibum Chung (Keller, TX); Matthew Edward Louis (Fort Worth, TX)

Assignee: Textron Innovations, Inc.

B64C29/0033 B64U10/25 B64U20/40 B64U30/297 B64C2211/00

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12679535
App. No.: 17/081,654
Granted: Jul 14, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft in which the tiltrotor assemblies are operably coupled at the forward and aft ends of the fuselage of the aircraft is disclosed. The modular tandem tiltrotor assemblies are capable of rotating between a vertical lift position and a horizontal flight position. The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft can be structurally more efficient and lower drag than a conventional tiltrotor, has better control authority and lifting capacity than hybrid-quads and tail-sitters, and has more range than a helicopter or multi-rotor. The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft can orbit and search over a broad area, or can hover for long periods, depending on the application. Instead of providing a multi-function tandem tiltrotor aircraft that is generally suited for all applications, but not optimized for any, the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft allows for customized configuration to optimize the aircraft for a particular application.

Claims (33)

1 . A modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage comprising:

a fuselage axis;

a forward end along the fuselage axis; and

an aft end along the fuselage axis;

a forward rotor assembly coupled to the forward end of the fuselage along the fuselage axis and operably rotatable between a first position and a second position;

an aft rotor assembly coupled to the aft end of the fuselage along the fuselage axis and operably rotatable between the first position and a second; and

a flight control computer configured to receive a unique identifier associated with one or more devices of the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft to determine a mode of operation of the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft, wherein the mode of operation includes at least a tandem helicopter mode and a tiltrotor mode, wherein the unique identifier from the one or more devices includes a real-time acknowledgment signal generated by the one or more devices, wherein the flight control computer determines the mode of operation based on the acknowledgment signal, such that receiving the acknowledgment signal indicates that the one or more devices are currently installed on the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft and a failure to receive the acknowledgment signal indicates that the one or more devices are currently absent from the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft, wherein the flight control computer determines the mode of operation by:

automatically setting the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft in the tandem helicopter mode in response to a determination that no aileron, rudder, or elevator are currently installed on the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft based on the acknowledgment signal, wherein setting the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft in the tandem helicopter mode includes configuring the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft to operate with settings associated with the tandem helicopter mode of operation; and

automatically setting the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft in the tiltrotor mode in response to a determination that at least one aileron, at least one rudder, and at least one elevator are currently installed on the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft based on the acknowledgment signal, wherein setting the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft in the tandem helicopter mode includes configuring the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft to operate with settings associated with the tiltrotor mode of operation.

2 . The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first position disposes the rotor blades above the fuselage.

3 . The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the second position disposes the rotor blades in-line with the fuselage axis.

4 . The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the flight control computer includes a built-in preflight check.

5 . The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the settings include one or more of thresholds and values associated with the tandem helicopter mode of operation.

6 . The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the settings include one or more of thresholds and values associated with the tiltrotor mode of operation.

7 . A modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage comprising:

a fuselage axis;

a forward end along the fuselage axis; and

an aft end along the fuselage axis;

a forward rotor assembly coupled to the forward end of the fuselage along the fuselage axis and rotatable to a plurality of positions, wherein the forward rotor assembly comprises a cyclic control mechanism configured to adjust the rotor blades cyclically; and

wherein a flight control computer is configured to adjust the cyclic control mechanism operation associated with the forward motor assembly to provide control input-response during a mode of;

an aft rotor assembly coupled to the aft end of the fuselage along the fuselage axis and rotatable to a plurality of positions, wherein the aft rotor assembly comprises a cyclic control mechanism configured to adjust the rotor blades cyclically; and

wherein the flight control computer is configured to adjust the cyclic control mechanism associated with the aft motor assembly to provide control input-response during the mode of operation;

a flight assembly releasably coupled to the fuselage, wherein the flight assembly is configurable between:

a first configuration including a fuselage attachment member configured to attach to at least a portion of the fuselage, an inboard wing operably coupled at a first end to the fuselage attachment member, an outboard wing operably coupled to a second end of the inboard wing, a tail boom operably coupled at a first end to one or more of the inboard wing and the outboard wing and extending rearwardly at a second end, and an empennage operably coupled to the second end of the tail boom, the first configuration configured for long-range flight operations to provide a higher lift to the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft than a modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft without the flight assembly in the first configuration; and

a second configuration excluding the outboard wing, the fuselage attachment member, the inboard wing, the tail boom, and the empennage, the second configuration configured for one or more of heavy lifting and long-dwelling operations; and

the flight control computer configured to receive a unique identifier associated with one or more devices of the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft to determine a mode of operation of the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft, wherein the mode of operation includes at least a tandem helicopter mode corresponding to the second configuration and a tiltrotor mode corresponding to the first configuration, wherein the unique identifier from the one or more devices includes a real-time acknowledgment signal generated by the one or more devices, wherein the flight control computer determines the mode of operation based on the acknowledgment signal, such that receiving the acknowledgment signal indicates that the one or more devices are currently installed on the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft and a failure to receive the acknowledgment signal indicates that the one or more devices are currently absent from the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft, wherein the flight control computer determines the mode of operation by:

automatically setting the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft in the tandem helicopter mode in response to a determination that no aileron, rudder, or elevator are currently installed on the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft based on the acknowledgment signal, wherein setting the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft in the tandem helicopter mode includes configuring the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft to operate with settings settings associated with the tandem helicopter mode of operation; and

8 . The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft of claim 7 , wherein the flight control computer includes a built-in preflight check.

9 . The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft of claim 7 , wherein the settings include one or more of thresholds and values associated with the tiltrotor mode of operation.

10 . The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft of claim 7 , wherein the settings include one or more of thresholds and values associated with the tiltrotor mode of operation.