A group of NATO member countries has thrashed out the wording of an agreement to allow the start of early work on a clean-sheet medium-class military helicopter to arrive in the mid-2030s.<\/p>\n
But the number of nations interested in the project has now increased to seven, up from the initial five-member grouping.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Negotiations covering the text of the legally binding memorandum of understanding for the concept phase of the Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) project were concluded on 8 September, NATO says.<\/p>\n
Participants in the two-day process included NATO staff as well as legal advisors and experts from seven nations, the alliance adds.<\/p>\n
We are looking to have the document signed during the first half of 2022 in order to kick off the concept phase, NATO adds.<\/p>\n
In November 2020 five countries France, Germany, Greece, Italy and the UK signed a letter of intent signaling their participation in the project. They have now been joined by the Netherlands and Spain.<\/p>\n
NATO analysis shows there are almost 1,000 helicopters in the 11-15t maximum take-off weight range operated by non-US NATO members which will need replacing by 2050.<\/p>\n
That number could be very much higher if helicopters in the category below are also included, even if technological advances mean there is unlikely to be a one-for-one replacement, Pat Collins, joint chair of the NATO vertical lift capability group, told the Royal Aeronautical Societys annual European Rotorcraft Forum on 8 September.<\/p>\n
NATO earlier this year released details of the required attributes for the NGRC, which include a common baseline airframe for a variety of missions.<\/p>\n
We would like to get away from multiple variants of the same basic airframe as far as possible, says Collins.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In addition, the NGRC should be much more cost-effective than current fleets, says Collins, achieving a fly-away cost of no more than 35 million ($41.3 million) and an operating cost no greater than 10,000 per flight hour. Availability also needs to improve over current-generation types, with a target of 75% for the operational\/forward fleet.<\/p>\n
Although he does not name it directly, the most recent NATO helicopter programme the NH Industries NH90 has suffered from cost and complexity issues caused by a plethora of variants. Low levels of availability have also been an issue cited by several operators.<\/p>\n
Speed is also a priority. NATO is seeking a cruise speed of 220kt (407km\/h), which would need to be achieved through an advanced configuration.<\/p>\n
However, it has also set a minimum speed threshold of 180kt. Collins says this could allow more conventional designs to be offered. This [threshold] is probably achievable but would require a fairly slippery airframe with conformal sensors it is quite different to what we have at the moment.<\/p>\n
Earlier at the same conference, Tomasz Krysinski, vice-president of research and innovation at Airbus Helicopters, touted the potential of a design based on its Racer high-speed demonstrator to meet the requirement.<\/p>\n
As part of his presentation, Krysinki displayed an image of the compound rotorcraft, which is due to fly next year, in a military configuration, adding: I really see a very good application for military use.<\/p>\n
Around 50 companies with an interest in the NGRC project are due to attend industry days to be held in Luxembourg on 21-22 September.<\/p>\n
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\nNATO advances next-generation helicopter project as NGRC team grows to seven nations - Flightglobal<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"