Reduced height swashplate assembly

A rotor system comprising:

• a gearbox comprising a gearbox casing and a reduced diameter upper portion extending upwards from the gearbox casing;
• a rotor mast operably coupled to the gearbox and extending through a top of the reduced diameter upper portion of the gearbox;
• a rotor hub assembly connected to an upper portion of the rotor mast;
• a set of blades coupled to the rotor hub assembly;
• a mounting sleeve attached to a top of the reduced diameter upper portion of the gearbox using fasteners and disposed around the reduced diameter upper portion of the gearbox, wherein the mounting sleeve extends downwards from the top of the reduce diameter upper portion of the gearbox;
• a tilt sleeve coupled to the mounting sleeve, wherein the tilt sleeve has a curved exterior surface;
• a non-rotating swashplate ring positioned around the tilt sleeve;
• a rotating swashplate ring rotatable about the non-rotating swashplate ring;
• a first bearing system mounted between the non-rotating swashplate ring and the rotating swashplate ring;
• an anti-rotation coupling connected between the non-rotating swashplate ring and the gearbox casing below the mounting sleeve and the reduced diameter upper portion of the gearbox;
• a set of pitch control actuators connected between the non-rotating swashplate ring and the gearbox casing;
• a drive link coupling connected between the rotating swashplate ring and the rotor hub assembly;
• and
• a set of pitch links connected between the rotating swashplate ring and the rotor hub assembly or the set of blades.

A method of controlling a set of rotor blades comprising:

• receiving a flight control input;
• moving a set of pitch control actuators based on the flight control input;
• and
• translating the movement of the set of pitch control actuators to the set of rotor blades using a swashplate assembly coupled to a gearbox comprising a gearbox casing and a reduced diameter upper portion extending upwards from the gearbox casing, wherein the swashplate assembly comprises:
• a mounting sleeve attached to a top of the reduced diameter upper portion of the gearbox using fasteners and disposed around the reduced diameter upper portion of the gearbox, wherein the mounting sleeve extends downwards from the top of the reduced diameter upper portion of the gearbox,
• a tilt sleeve coupled to the mounting sleeve, wherein the tilt sleeve has a curved exterior surface,
• a non-rotating swashplate ring positioned around the tilt sleeve, wherein the non-rotating swashplate ring is coupled to the set of pitch control actuators,
• a rotating swashplate ring rotatable about the non-rotating swashplate ring,
• a first bearing system mounted between the non-rotating swashplate ring and the rotating swashplate ring,
• an anti-rotation coupling connected between the non-rotating swashplate ring and the gearbox casing below the mounting sleeve and the reduced diameter upper portion of the gearbox,
• a drive link coupling connected between the rotating swashplate ring and the rotor hub assembly, and
• a set of pitch links connected between the rotating swashplate ring and the set of blades or a rotor hub assembly coupled to the set of blades.