Experimental data are presented for the parasite drag of various helicopter fuselage components, such as skids, external fuel tanks, and tailplane. The experiments were conducted at the KNRTU-KAI T-1K wind tunnel, investigating four versions of a fuselage similar to the ANSAT helicopter. It was found that for the range of pitch angles −10°≤ ≤ 10°, the skids added 80% to the drag of the bare fuselage, while the tailplane increased the drag by 20%. At the same conditions, external fuel tanks were found to add 48% to the clean fuselage drag. A simple rotor hub with a tail support added 74% to the bare fuselage in the range of pitch angles −8°≤ ≤ 6°. Streamlining the rear fuselage was found to reduce the drag by 16% over the range of pitch angles −10°≤ ≤ 10°. Apart from the parasite drag, ideas for drag reduction are also discussed.
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