Is China leaning towards tiltrotor helicopters for its aircraft carriers?
- New research from Chinese engineers to overcome safety problems with take-off and landing may point that way, analysts say
- The study is based on the way homing pigeons make their approach on return flights
The engineers are from three mainland-based universities specialising in naval build-up, shipbuilding and aviation, and they published their work in the Journal of Aerospace Engineering, a scientific journal published by American Society of Civil Engineers.
They looked at a new landing model based on pigeon-inspired optimisation – calculations based on the behaviour of homing pigeons – with the aim of reducing accidents on tiltrotor helicopters.
Tiltrotor helicopters can operate like a traditional helicopter or fly like a fixed-wing aircraft, allowing them to take off and land vertically and yet giving them a greater range and heft.
But there have been safety concerns about this type of aircraft over the years, problems compounded by the complexities of landing the helicopters on a busy and dynamic aircraft carrier.