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Transcend Air V-421 (concept design)

V-421 long-range hybrid-electric VTOL passenger and cargo military concept design aircraft

 

V-421 (concept design)
Transcend Air Corporation
Carlisle, Massachusetts, USA
www.transcend.aero

The Transcend Air Corporation was founded in 2017 in Carlisle, Massachusetts, USA. The company is in the business to design and manufacture a tilt-wing hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) for efficient and low cost military aircraft and for city-to-city advanced air mobility (AAM) travel for the VIP traveler. As the aircraft can takeoff and land on any landing pad, airport tarmac, parking lot or grassy area, the aircraft will whisk the traveler to the destination faster than traditional airport-to-airport flying. Their aircraft can also fly its passengers to their destinations faster than a helicopter, according to the company.

The U.S. Air Force has supported Transcend Air's work with four research and development contracts a United States Air Force AFWERX program. The AFWERX program started in June 2021. The "AF" stands for U. S. Air Force and "WERX" is shorthand for work project. The company made it through three down-select stages to become one of five final contenders for the Pentagon’s High-Speed VTOL Challenge (HSVTOL Challenge). AFWERX's goal is finding aircraft that have jet-like speed, in-flight transition between hover and cruise, increased range and endurance, in-flight refueling capability, flexible payload and more.

The company advocates for an almost full conventional power train for their aircraft and plans to use turbine engines to power the two main tractor propellers. The aircraft is still a hybrid-electric aircraft as there are four small electric VTOL propellers in the rear of the fuselage used primarily to keep the aircraft stable during VTOL flight in any windy condition.

Prototype flight testing
Since 2009, the company has built and flown 17 prototype electric or hybrid-electric VTOL subscale and full scale aircraft and at least 15 of them have had an all electric power source. All prototypes made up to and including 2023 are uncrewed except for the Elytron subscale prototype which holds two people.

Some history of the Garrow Aircraft, Elyton Aircraft and Transcend prototypes:

  • Garrow Aircraft: Proto 1. The first VTOL drone design was a made on a napkin in 2009 of a hybrid-electric VTOL passenger aircraft. The concept design was a delta wing with 3 VTOL propellers.
  • Garrow Aircraft: Proto 2. VTOL drone aircraft.
  • Garrow Aircraft: Proto 3. VTOL drone with 2 tilt-props, 1 main wing, 1 vertical stabilizer, fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear.
  • Garrow Aircraft: Proto 4. Delta-wing and canard VTOL with 2 VTOL propellers within the fuselage of the aircraft
  • Garrow Aircraft: Proto 5. Delta-wing and canard VTOL with 1 VTOL propellers within the fuselage of the aircraft
  • Garrow Aircraft: Proto 6. VTOL drone with 2 VTOL propellers within the high main wing with 1 pusher propeller in front of the rear conventional tail with fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear.
  • Garrow Aircraft: Proto 7. VTOL flying-wing fuselage with winglets
  • Garrow Aircraft: Proto 8. VTOL box-wing design, fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear.
  • Elytron Aircraft: Proto 9. Unknown
  • Elytron Aircraft: Proto 10. Unknown
  • Elytron Aircraft: Proto 11: Elytron 2S Proto 11 crewed aircraft
  • Elytron Aircraft: Proto 12. VTOL 2 propeller tiltwing box-wing with fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear
  • Transcend Air Corporation: Proto 13: VTOL open framed fuselage with 2 propellers at the end of the foward main tiltwing with a rear H-tail
  • Transcend Air Corporation: Proto 14: 1/5 subscale Vy 400 (does not weight 350 lb), VTOL tiltwing with H-tail.
  • Transcend Air Corporation: Proto 15: 1/5 subscale Vy 400, first flight September 5, 2018 (does not weight 350 lb) VTOL tiltwing with H-tail and fixed skid landing gear.
  • Transcend Air Corporation: Proto 16: First flight January 19, 2019
  • Transcend Air Corporation: Proto 17: Risk Reduction Test Vehicle (RRTV), first flight July 31, 2023

V-421 long-range hybrid-electric VTOL passenger and cargo military concept design aircraft
The V-421 long-range is a hybrid-electric VTOL passenger and cargo military concept design aircraft. The aircraft holds one pilot, is autonomous capable and has a capacity to hold seven people. Each person can have a predicted maximum weight of 365 lb (166 kg). The aircraft can be used for passengers, cargo or both. The aircraft has one min high tilt-wing with two turbine powered propellers and has four electric powered VTOL-only in the middle of the rear of the H-tail. The main propellers are powered by two GE turboshaft engines CT7-8 with 2,700 shp each.

The aircraft has an anticipated of cruise speed of 485 mph (301 km/h), a planned range of 2,193 m (3,529 km) and has an expected maximum operating altitude of 30,000 ft (9,144 m). The fuselage is made of carbon fiber composite to make the superstructure as strong and light as possible. The aircraft as a projected empty weight of 7,500 lb (3,402 kg), a maximum payload of 3,500 lb (1,588 kg) and a maximum takeoff weight of 11,000 lb (4,990 kg). The cabin has a volume of 470 cubic feet. In an unlikely event of an emergency, there is a whole aircraft parachute.

V-521 long-range hybrid-electric VTOL passenger and cargo military concept design aircraft
The V-521 is another military model the company is offering that has the same airframe as the V-421 military aircraft but will have an turbine engine, the GE T901 engine. The GE T901 turboshaft engine is same turbine engine used for the U.S. Army's Black Hawk and Apache helicopters.

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Military hybrid-electric passenger and cargo VTOL concept design aircraft
  • Piloting: 1 pilot, autonomous capable
  • Capacity: 7 people, maximum 365 lb (166 kg) each person
  • Cruise speed: 485 mph (301 km/h)
  • Range: 2,193 m (3,529 km)
  • Maximum operating altitude: 30,000 ft (9,144 m)
  • Empty weight: 7,500 lb (3,402 kg)
  • Maximum payload: 3,500 lb (1,588 kg)
  • Maximum takeoff weight: 11,000 lb (4,990 kg)
  • Cabin volume: 470 cubic feet
  • Propellers: 2 turbine powered propellers, 4 electric tailfan propellers
  • Electric motors: 4 electric motors
  • Power source: 2 GE turboshaft engines CT7-8, 2,700 shp
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Windows: The aircraft has typical military windows
  • Wings: 1 high wing
  • Tail: 1 H-tail
  • Landing gear: Retractable wheeled landing gear
  • Safety features: The aircraft can land conventionally if there is a power loss in the tractor propellers. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft.

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