NATO Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability study awards three contracts
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has awarded three contracts to Airbus Helicopters, Lockheed Martin Sikorsky and Leonardo to “perform detailed platform concept studies in the frame of the Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme”.
“The launch of Concept Study 5 is a significant milestone for the NGRC concept stage activities and demonstrates NSPA’s dedication to meet the challenge of next generation medium lift for participating nations,” explained NSPA general manager Stacy Cummings. She added that the strategy to deliver three parallel contracts would “maximise industry expertise, opportunity and engagement in the programme,” and will “provide a broad range of potential concepts in the study results”.
The projects aims to develop a fully NATO-interoperable solution capable of meeting NATO armed force’s requirements “while also guaranteeing industrial sovereignty for our European nations and maintaining key engineering competencies,” added Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.
The study contract will see Airbus partnering with RTX’s Collins Aerospace and Raytheon business, along with MBDA, for the next 13 months; jointly analysing two integrated concepts of next generation military rotorcraft. France, Germany, the UK, the US, Ireland and Italy will also participate via different partner companies.
“We are confident our game changing X2 rotorcraft will provide NATO with an integrated rotorcraft system that combines speed, range, manoeuvrability, survivability and operational flexibility, enabling commanders and aviators with multi-domain operations required to deter ever-evolving threats for decades to come,” concluded Andy Adams, vice president, Lockheed Martin Sikorsky Future Vertical Lift.
