Italy’s Avio Aero will join forces with MTU Aero Engines and Safran Helicopter Engines to develop a next-generation turboshaft for future European military rotorcraft applications.
However, the GE Aerospace-owned business will remain outside the existing EURA joint venture established by its two partners in 2024.
Scheduled to enter service in around 2040, development of the powerplant – now called the European Next Generation Helicopter Engine (ENGHE) – is covered by a long-term partnership agreement signed at the Paris air show on 18 June.
Workshare will be split equally between the three companies, but the collaboration could also see other European participants joining later.
“We are delighted to extend our co-operation in the field of future military helicopter engines with Avio Aero,” says Cedric Goubet, chief executive of Safran Helicopter Engines.
Goubet says the team’s next step will be to respond to a call for proposals from the European Defence Fund (EDF) related to a future helicopter engine that was issued earlier this year. The EDF has allocated €25 million ($28.8 million) for the project.
A “team of top European aerospace partners” co-ordinated by EURA has already been set up, he says, and a response to the EDF’s call will be submitted in October.
Riccardo Procacci, chief executive of Avio Aero, adds: “This agreement is a major opportunity for the aerospace industry to work together in support of Europe’s strategic autonomy and technological leadership.
“At Avio Aero, we are excited to play a key role in this collaboration, offering our industrial capabilities and expertise in turboshaft engine development to meet future needs of European armed forces.”
EURA sees the ENGHE as suitable for the next-generation military rotorcraft being worked on through two separate NATO and EDF-led projects.
