Project Star Wants to Improve the Performance of Rotor Blades and Reduce Noise

Aviation Project Star Wants to Improve the Performance of Rotor Blades and Reduce Noise

2026-02-14 From Stefanie Eckardt | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

Helicopters cause a lot of noise, especially during the landing approach. This is where the Smart Twisting Active Rotor project, or Star for short, comes into play. The goal: to improve the performance of rotor blades while reducing their noise emissions and the vibrations they generate.

Helicopters are indispensable for rescue operations. However, they generate a lot of noise, especially during landing approaches. This is where the Star project aims to provide a solution.(Image: freely licensed on Pixabay) — Helicopters are indispensable for rescue operations. However, they generate a lot of noise, especially during landing approaches. This is where the Star project aims to provide a solution.
(Image: freely licensed on Pixabay)

In hover flight and at maximum speed, helicopters require a lot of power and exhibit a high vibration level, especially in slow, fast, and maneuvering flight. This could be improved if the rotor blades could adapt statically and, above all, dynamically to the respective aerodynamic flight conditions. To find a solution for this, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), NASA, JAXA, ONERA, Konkuk University in South Korea, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the US Army's Simulation, Experimentation, and Technology Development Directorate, and the German-Dutch Wind Tunnels (DNW) are collaborating in the STAR project. As part of the project, actively twistable rotor blades with piezoceramic actuators integrated into the blade skin, which deform under an applied electric voltage, were investigated. In this way, the rotor blade is twisted—statically with direct current and dynamically with alternating current.

Tests in the low-speed wind tunnel

After a long preparation period, a four-blade rotor equipped with active twisting and a rotor size of four meters in diameter was tested for the first time in the large low-speed wind tunnel of the DNW in the Netherlands. During the three-week measurement campaign at the end of last year, noise reductions of up to seven decibels during the landing approach were achieved, which corresponds to more than a halving of perceived noise. The vibrations could be reduced by more than half, while the efficiency of the rotor under high loads was increased.

The rotor with actively twistable rotor blades in the wind tunnel: The open test section and sound-absorbing wall and model fuselage coverings enable acoustic measurements.(Image: DLR) — The rotor with actively twistable rotor blades in the wind tunnel: The open test section and sound-absorbing wall and model fuselage coverings enable acoustic measurements.
(Image: DLR)

The data obtained by the partners included not only rotor forces, moments, and performance but also blade movements, their deformations and loads, surface pressures, acoustic measurements, as well as flow field and boundary layer measurements. This information enables comprehensive validation of computational programs. Additionally, the results can be applied to various scenarios, from conventional helicopters to high-speed configurations and urban air mobility concepts. (se)

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Date: 08.12.2025

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