The Lifting Body Aircraft Has Been Designed By VX Aerospace

For the first time at JEC Europe 2014, Chomarat will present a one-quarter scale version of the VX-1 KittyHawk. This aircraft, designed by VX Aerospace, has a unique shape that the company says is structurally efficient due to C-Ply, Chomarat’s advanced composite reinforcement material.

What makes KittyHawk so different from other aircraft is its shape. The fuselage and wings are combined into one shape called a 'lifting body' or 'blended wing' aircraft. The designer says the shape of the KittyHawk has numerous advantages over traditional designs, such as greater usable internal volume, greater payload capability, better structural efficiency, better durability and better manufacturability. In addition, the aircraft can be scaled to accommodate the intended mission. Manned or unmanned, the VX-1 KittyHawk’s massive internal volume is a huge advantage, according to a news release.

Furthermore, it is expected to have a smaller footprint than other aircraft when based on payload capability. “The volume will also allow KittyHawk to lead the way in adopting CNG (compressed natural gas) as an aviation fuel. Existing technology CNG tanks fit inside the aircraft with no aerodynamic compromise. At less than one-third the cost of avgas, the KittyHawk will have unparalleled operational economy with emissions that are 40 percent cleaner.” says Bob Skillen, VX Aerospace’s CEO.

Skillen said the unique shape of the KittyHawk is made structurally efficient with the use of advanced composite reinforcement materials from Chomarat. C-Ply (prepregged with Cytec Industries’ resin system MTM 45-1 to create a low density, high damage tolerant prepreg material) is the enabling material for VX Aerospace to use their established hand lay-up and oven curing processes to economically achieve properties similar to autoclave cured UD (uni-directional) prepreg and automatically placed tape prepreg. The C-Ply material is durable to handle during lay-up, drapable to accommodate the compound curvatures, and can be manufactured to fully optimize the design relative to fiber angles and ply weights… to ultimately yield a low weight, high performance, and low cost final solution.

“C-Ply is the first true advance in carbon fabrics in a long time. It is designed to optimize fiber performance. Chomarat capitalized on the low-angle, thin ply, non-crimp laminate concept developed by Prof. Steve Tsai. The result is a fabric that allows for cost effective production of open mold parts with the same (or better) performance characteristics of ATP parts. This is a game changer for small business." says Skillen.

Skillen says the VX-1 KittyHawk combines the demonstrated advantages of blended wing aircraft of the past with state of the art design, materials and manufacturing techniques of today. This unique configuration is dynamically stable and aerodynamically efficient. The scale model will be on display at the JEC Show in Paris March 11-13.

FMI: http://vxaerospace.com/