as in rotorcraft
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Recent Examples of rotary-wing aircraft
New long-range helicopter munition The LRAM effort aims to give Marine rotary-wing aircraft the ability to strike targets at far greater distances than current weapons allow.
—
Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
Byrne said that a fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft could operate as a drone to a larger, passively buoyant platform.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Cal Fire has the largest civil aerial firefighting fleet in the world, including more than 60 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2023
Equipped with these sophisticated flight controllers, the fly-by-wire BlackFly is similar in that regard to the hobbyist drones that rely on processors and clever algorithms to avoid the tricky manipulations of sticks, levers, and pedals required to fly a traditional fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft.
—IEEE Spectrum, 29 Dec. 2022
The Stinger, in service with more than 18 countries and the US armed forces, has scored more than 270 hits against fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.
—Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022
That facility had 150 workers who made sheet metal components and assemblies for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
—Allie Morris, Dallas News, 19 Feb. 2020
Its fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft will be based out of Barbados and Guadeloupe respectively.
—Elizabeth Koh, miamiherald, 23 Sep. 2017
Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
Byrne said that a fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft could operate as a drone to a larger, passively buoyant platform.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Cal Fire has the largest civil aerial firefighting fleet in the world, including more than 60 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2023
Equipped with these sophisticated flight controllers, the fly-by-wire BlackFly is similar in that regard to the hobbyist drones that rely on processors and clever algorithms to avoid the tricky manipulations of sticks, levers, and pedals required to fly a traditional fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft.
—IEEE Spectrum, 29 Dec. 2022
The Stinger, in service with more than 18 countries and the US armed forces, has scored more than 270 hits against fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.
—Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022
That facility had 150 workers who made sheet metal components and assemblies for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
—Allie Morris, Dallas News, 19 Feb. 2020
Its fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft will be based out of Barbados and Guadeloupe respectively.
—Elizabeth Koh, miamiherald, 23 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotary-wing aircraft
Noun
-
For example, Skyfall will feature three little helicopters, which will be similar to Ingenuity, the NASA rotorcraft that landed on the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover in February 2021.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
24 Mar. 2026
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The result is an uncrewed rotorcraft intended as a high-utility, low-cost helicopter for both commercial and military applications.—
David Szondy
March 11,
New Atlas,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The helicopter was operated by Airborne Aviation, which does sightseeing tours of Kauai's canyons, shoreline and waterfalls.—
JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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The crash marks another tragedy in Hawaii’s sightseeing helicopter industry, which has recorded at least 16 deaths in the last seven years.—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
From aerial footage captured by the CBS News Texas chopper, investigators could be seen bringing in portable lighting and expanding the crime scene perimeter - a sign the investigation would continue well into the evening.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
When one chopper broke down, another would be dismantled for parts to fix it.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rotary-wing aircraft.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotary-wing%20aircraft. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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