Slowed Rotor, Fixed Wing, Twin Turboprop Design Unveiled at Dublin Show

ARC Aerosystems has unveiled its first passenger aircraft using their famed "slowed rotor" technology, the ARC Linx P9.

The aircraft was shown for the first time at an Airfinance Journal event in Dublin, Ireland, impressing attendees with an eye-catching black and green livery and sleek but capacious design. The Linx is meant to be a cost-effective, sustainable solution to intercity point to point travel, offering the flexibility of helicopter operation with the efficiency of a fixed-wing aircraft. The cabin sports more than twice the space of a garden variety 4-seat eVTOL, improving operational economics with more paying customers on every flight. 

While ARC says the Linx sports a "far less complex drivetrain than a chopper," its use of a single rotor and twin turboprop engines don't quite mean it will be as trouble-free as its electric competitors. Instead of the standard avgas or jetA, however, the Linx will run on SAF or hydrogen. At least those engines will earn their keep, with a 200-knot top speed or 162-knot cruise. It can fly for 512 nautical miles up to 13,000 feet after a "jump takeoff". All of that performance should, according to DARPA modeling, come in about " 40 percent more cost-effective than traditional helicopters."

“It’s a very exciting design concept that is the ultimate solution for the market, that is affordable, safe and practical, whilst providing the right answer to the current environmental concerns,” ARC’s CEO Seyed Mohseni said in a statement.

FMI: www.arcaerosystems.com