The Bell D-292 was an American experimental helicopter developed by
Bell Helicopters
Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, as well as commercial helicopters in Mir ...
for the United States Army Advanced Composite Airframe Program (ACAP), as part of the studies involved in the
Light Helicopter Experimental
The Light Helicopter Experimental (LHX) program was a 1980s United States Army helicopter procurement project to replace the AH-1 Cobra and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters.
Background
In support of the LHX program, the United States Army started the Adv ...
(LHX) program.
Design and development
The Bell D-292 was developed under the
US Army's Advanced Composite Airframe Program (ACAP), which was a project to develop an all-composite helicopter fuselage, considerably lighter and less costly to build than predominantly metal airframes, in support of the LHX program.
In February 1981, contracts were awarded to Sikorsky and Bell Helicopters, with Sikorsky submitting the
S-75.
Both companies were to build three airframes, one tool-proof version, one static-test version and a flight-test vehicle.
The Bell D-292 used the Avco Lycoming engines, transmission, two-bladed main and tail rotors, tailboom, vertical fin, and rotor pylon from the Bell 222. The new airframe replaced metal with composites for greater strength, reduced weight and both lower manufacturing and maintenance costs.
The D-292
serial number
A serial number is a unique identifier assigned incrementally or sequentially to an item, to ''uniquely'' identify it.
Serial numbers need not be strictly numerical. They may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist enti ...
''85-24371'' flew for the first time on 30 August 1985
following delays due to funding and industrial problems.
Specifications
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
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{{Bell Aircraft
1980s United States helicopters
1980s United States experimental aircraft
Twin-turbine helicopters
Aircraft first flown in 1985
D-292