Russian Helicopters holding company (part of Rostec State Corporation) will present a prototype of VRT30 unmanned tilt-rotor aircraft designed by VR Technologies at the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2017. Currently the unmanned aircraft has successfully passed another stage of flight tests, and a technical design work on this project will be used for creating a tiltrotor aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 2 tons.

The advantage of aircrafts designed using a tiltrotor scheme is that a runway is not required for their operation. In addition, a tiltrotor aircraft is able to maintain a higher speed and perform tasks in hover mode as well, owing to a tilt rotor mechanism.

The static exposition of Russian Helicopters will display a prototype which is currently undergoing flight tests. To date, a tilt-rotor flight and hovering is fully operational, and an automatic control system is being tested at a flight simulation stand in airplane mode.

'VRT30 is a flying laboratory on the basis of which on a number of systems a technical groundwork is being formed for creating a comparable machine with a maximum takeoff weight of 2 tons. It is planned to use for this future tiltrotor the latest technology of superconductivity developed by SuperOx Company that will help to reduce weight of engine unit, electric generation system unit and of electric power supply system. In this way the payload weight will increase making the machine commercially attractive for a wide range of customers,' said Andrey Boginsky, General Director of Russian Helicopters.

By the fourth quarter of 2117, VRT30 tiltrotor will enter its second stage of tests during which it will be tested in various flying modes, weather conditions and with target elements of payload weight. It is estimated that the unmanned aircraft will enter serial production approximately in the end of 2018.