Object Details
- Manufacturer
- Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.
- Summary
- The XV-15 Tilt Rotor technology demonstrator was the culmination of efforts begun in the early 1950s to produce an aircraft that could takeoff, land, and hover like a helicopter, but with the speed of an airplane. The rotor pylons tilt from vertical to horizontal to eliminate the speed barriers imposed on conventional helicopters by retreating-blade stall and allowed the XV-15 to operate at speeds of 550 kph (345 mph TAS).
- This is the second of the two XV-15s built by Bell under a joint NASA/US Army program. It served from 1979 through 2003, demonstrating operations under a wide range of conditions and logged 700 hours in testing. Its success encouraged Bell and the US Marine Corps to develop a scaled-up Tilt Rotor, the MV-22, as a replacement for Marine transport helicopters. In association with Agusta Aerospace, Bell also developed the Model 609 Civil Tilt Rotor with experience gained from the XV-15 program.
- Credit Line
- Transferred from National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Inventory Number
- A20030180000
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- CRAFT-Rotary Wing
- Dimensions
- Wingspan: 9.80 m (32 ft 2 in)
- Proprotor Diameter: 7.62 m (25 ft)
- Length: 12.83 m (42 ft 1 in)
- Height: 3.86 m (12 ft 8 in)
- Weight, empty: 4,574 kg (10,083 lb)
- Weight, gross: 6,804 kg (15,000 lb)
- See more items in
- National Air and Space Museum Collection
- Location
- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
- Exhibit Station
- Sport Aviation
- National Air and Space Museum
- Record ID
- nasm_A20030180000
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9e71a51e0-ef22-4a84-9091-978bfc7906d6
