Helicopter and general aviation aircraft windscreens not certified as resistant to bird strikes have very limited resistance to the impact of a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) and could be critically damaged by collisions with drones in several realistic scenarios, according to a study commissioned by the U.K. Department for Transport, the Military Aviation Authority and the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA). Results of the study, contained in a report written by the three commissioning organizations and released in July, also show that helicopter tail rotors are “very vulnerable to the impact of a drone, with modelling showing blade failures” from impacts with even the smaller drone components tested.
Results of the study also showed that the construction of the drone plays a significant role in the impact of a collision, with the exposed metal motors from a smaller drone causing critical failure of the helicopter windscreens at lower speeds than the plastic…
