Technology
Electric vehicles
are challenging the dominance of the gasoline-engine vehicles. It is by no
means strange that electric helicopters will begin the battle with
gasoline-engine helicopter. GEN Corp. in Nagano Prefecture developed a
single-seater electric helicopter driven by motor and storage battery. The
company succeeded in the test fly last December. This helicopter has the same
structure of GEN H-4 driven by engine contained in the Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft. In addition, it was certified by the Guinness World Records as the world’s
smallest single-seater helicopter.
Most parts are automobile
standards with only a few aluminum parts to commoditize the electricity-driven
helicopter. For example, the company replaced the fuel tank with a Chinese
lithium-polymer battery. However, it can fly only for about five minutes
because of the low quality Chinese lithium-polymer battery. The company is
confident that its electricity-driven helicopter can fly longer by replacing
the current battery with more reliable high-performance battery. A lighter and
higher-output laminate type lithium-ion battery can be recommended because it
can dissipate heat.
An electric
helicopter is quieter than a helicopter driven by engine. In addition, motor
revolution is more easily controllable than engine revolution. Stable revolution
increases the stability of hovering. Wings are made of fiber reinforced plastic
(FRP). The helicopter is hardly detectable by radar, if its body is made of FRP
and the motor and battery are covered by electromagnetic absorber. GEN built an
unmanned electric helicopter, and it successfully flied with a 150 kg cargo by
wireless control.
A demonstration flight of the GEN-H4 helicopter from GEN Corp.
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