On this day in engineering history, a
modified Kaman HTK made the first pilotless helicopter flight. Built by Kaman
Aerospace of Bloomfield, Connecticut, the K-240 HTK-1K was a
remotely-controlled drone helicopter that some aviation historians consider to be the
world's first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Built at a cost of $37,684 (USD),
the Kaman HTK-1K was 14 ft. high and 38 ft. long with a rotor diameter of almost
40 ft. Powered by a single, 450-hp Lycoming engine, the military helicopter
carried 38 gallons of fuel and could achieve a top speed of 72 mph. Previous
versions of the Kaman HTK had been used as both training helicopters and
ambulance helicopters, achieving a hover ceiling of 6,150 ft. and a range of
145 miles at 1500 ft.
Drones and DASH
The success of the K-240 HTK-1K was the
latest in a series of tests that were designed to demonstrate the capabilities
of drone helicopters. On May 3, 1957, a Kaman HTK-1 with only a safety pilot
aboard operated near Narragansett Bay,
Massachusetts from the fantail of
the USS Mitscher (DL-2). Earlier that
year, a piloted HUL-1 built by Bell Helicopter had ferried homing torpedoes to
and from the Mitscher near Key West, Florida,
demonstrating the feasibility of assigning torpedo-carrying drones to naval
destroyers. Ultimately, the success of these tests led to the development of
the U.S. Navy's Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) program, a response to a
rapidly-increasing Soviet submarine force.
The Gyrodyne QH-50C
Although Kaman Aircraft and Bell Helicopter were
early entrants into the competition to build unmanned helicopters, the Gyrodyne
Company of St. James, Long Island won the
contract for DASH in December 1958. During the 1960s, the Gyrodyne QH-50C was deployed
aboard U.S. Navy destroyers for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises. Tied
down with a quick-release connection cable, the QH-50C used separate "umbilical
cords" for engine and gyroscope start-up.
After the Boeing T50-BO-8 turbine
engine warmed up, an operator at a deck-level control station manipulated an
altitude wheel, heading knob, and cyclic stick. When the controller released
the hold-down cable, the drone helicopter climbed to the specified altitude and
flew toward its pre-selected heading. After the homing torpedoes were released,
the drone was then flown back to the ship.
Resources:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/h-22-specs.htm
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:RnM9z4VCwNQJ:www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/PART08.PDF+kaman+htk+july+30,+1957&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&gl=us&client=firefox-a
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/h-22-specs.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/h-22.htm
http://www.helicoptermuseum.org/AircraftDetails.asp?helicopterID=21
http://www.gyrodynehelicopters.com/dash_history.htm
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Re: July 30, 1957 – The First Pilotless Helicopter Flight
