A 45-member consortium headed by Airbus Helicopters has been selected to share almost €100 million ($113 million) from the European Defence Fund (EDF) to develop the technologies needed for a future military rotorcraft.
Designed to pave the way for the development of a next-generation platform by 2030 “focusing on advanced rotorcraft technologies and configurations”, work on the European Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies (ENGRT) Phase II effort will begin next year and run for 36 months. Contract signature is due to take place at the end of 2025.
EDF documents put the total project cost at €160 million, with the maximum contribution from the funding body capped at €99.9 million.
Although the project is co-ordinated by Airbus Helicopters, as with an earlier phase, the continent’s other rotorcraft manufacturer Leonardo Helicopters is a co-leader.
Also included in the consortium are a swathe of aerospace and defence contractors, weapons manufacturers, sensor specialists and research institutes from 12 different countries.
Absent from the list, however, are propulsion specialists MTU Aero Engines and Safran Helicopter Engines, who, despite their inclusion in ENGRT Phase I, are pursuing funding for a future powerplant via a separate EDF project.
Details of the research and technology activities to be conducted through ENGRT Phase II were not immediately available from the EDF.
However, in its call for proposals released in March last year, the agency said the project was designed to “lead to a step improvement in EU [vertical take-off and landing] capability with a view to future EU/NATO rotorcraft programmes” to enter service around 2035 or beyond.
Technologies under study may also “be used for upgrades of legacy platforms, where applicable”.
Proposals should aim to “perform ground and flight demonstrations of systems and technologies, relying on technology demonstrators and available assets, as well as on laboratory testing”.
Additionally, the ENGRT programme aims to start converging “towards a single vehicle architecture”.
EGNRT is running in parallel with a separate NATO programme, with heavy European involvement, also focused on next-generation rotorcraft.
