Dornier Do 132

Do 132
Do 132 mockup
Role	Utility helicopter
Manufacturer	Dornier
Status	Cancelled project

The Dornier Do 132 was a utility helicopter under development in Germany in the late 1960s. While the design was a conventional pod-and-boom layout, the propulsion system was unusual in that it used a turbine engine not to drive the rotor directly, but to provide a source of hot gas that was fed through the rotor shaft, along the blades, and out through tip jets. The intention was to do away with the weight and mechanical complexity of a gearbox and an anti-torque system for the tail.

This engine system underwent extensive static tests while a full-size mockup was built to prove the aerodynamics in a wind tunnel. Ultimately, however, the programme was cancelled in 1969 before a prototype was actually constructed.

Specifications (as designed)

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 (pilot)
• Capacity: 3 passengers
• Length: 7.50 m (24 ft 7 in)
• Main rotor diameter: 10.70 m (35 ft 1 in)
• Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
• Main rotor area: 89.9 m² (968 ft²)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-A20 (acting as gas generator only), 430 kW (580 hp)

Performance

• Cruising speed: 220 km/h (140 mph)
• Range: 450 km (280 miles)

References

• EADS website