How much is a swashplate system more energy efficient than a fixed blade system for the same load When reading about the lifting capacity of swashplates (as found in helicopters) vs fixed blade systems (as found in e.g. DJI drones), I read a lot of comments about the fact that the bigger rotors of a helicopter are more efficient. But how does that link to the system (fixed vs swashplate) and how much efficiency are we talking about? Now, I know that the question is way too simple for the complexity of the problem, also after reading these questions 1, 2, 3
The factors that influence this problem is also part of the 'quest' and I hope to reach a ballpark figure. It also links to the complexity of the use of a swashplate or even a virtual one. A very complex system can be more efficient in the long run, but is it worth it. That is the underlying question.
If possible could you explain formula's? I had math and physics back in the day until the age of 18 (VWO for the dutchies), so it is rather rusty.
edit: the core of the question is the system efficiency vs 1 or multirotor
The question does not really make sense: a helicopter is a kind of aircraft, a drone is a mode of how a vehicle is controlled.
I can rip the seats and controls out of a helicopter and put some clever software, some cameras, and some transmitters inside, and boom: I have a drone that can carry exactly as much as it could before – probably even more because humans and safety systems are heavy, and we got rid of both of those.
In fact, that's exactly what some companies are doing. The Northrop-Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout is literally just a Bell 407 with some added electronics and software. And while this particular drone is designed for combat, there are others which are designed for cargo delivery. For example, two uncrewed Kaman K-MAX were deployed to Afghanistan already in 2011.
Here is a video about the Office of Naval Research's Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System AACUS program. The goal of this program is to have a software/hardware package that can be installed in any helicopter to make it fully autonomous. There is no reason you couldn't install it in a Mil Mi-26, for example.
So, in short: by turning an existing helicopter into a drone, a drone can by definition lift just as much as a helicopter. By designing a helicopter specifically as a drone, you could potentially lift even more, because you can get rid of all the weight for the cockpit, seats, life support, safety systems, controls, etc. You could also remove a lot of redundancy, if you consider occasional crashes acceptable when no humans are on board.