Conceptual Design Study of a High-Altitude Mountain Rescue Rotorcraft

While there is a market for trekkers venturing into isolated environments, there will also be a market for specialized vehicles to rescue trekkers waylaid by unfortunate circumstance. This paper presents a conceptual design study of a helicopter specifically for rescue operations in extremely high altitude and mountainous terrain. Mt. Everest suffers from overcrowding and a high fluctuation of inexperienced climbers who pose a risk to themselves and other climbers around them. Rescue by fellow climbers when incapacitated is risky and difficult. There is a need for a rescue helicopter capable of hovering and extracting climbers as high up as the summit. However, there are many challenges from multiple disciplines that limit potential solutions. Helicopter sizing, economics, medical treatment, and socio-legislative policies all impact the major decision-making processes. This paper proposes a design that best addresses these issues using currently available technology. Turboshaft engines, contrary to electric motors, loose power with increasing altitude which means that for high-altitude operations it must be overpowered. The novelty of this design concept is the application of a compact coaxial helicopter with a hybrid-electric turboshaft propulsion system which balances the power required in high-altitude hover and cruise. The feasibility of this design is then compared to a traditional helicopter using a theoretically sized turboshaft engine. Many components from the Airbus H135 are integrated to reduce cost.