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Airbus Helicopters’ concept of the future battlefield helicopter has a compound pusher configuration to provide a higher dash speed and gun-equipped drones for protection.
The military helicopter needs to evolve, employ longer-range weapons and work more closely with uncrewed aircraft systems if it is to survive on the high-intensity battlefields of the future, Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even contends.
As lessons emerge from Ukraine about the use of battlefield helicopters and as Europe considers the next generation of battlefield rotorcraft through NATO’s Next-Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) and the European Next-Generation Rotorcraft Technologies (ENGRT) initiatives, Airbus Helicopters is hedging its bets on its X3 compound helicopter technology as a potential solution for a lower-cost, more mature approach to high-speed rotorcraft. The airframer also is building a portfolio of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) that Even says will accompany the helicopter to the front line.
- Airbus Helicopters is looking to expand its uncrewed portfolio
- The OEM purchased UAS manufacturer Aerovel in January
- The Racer high-speed demonstrator achieved target speed in June
“We don’t see a world where the drone will compete against the helicopter,” he told Aviation Week at the Farnborough International Airshow in July. “When you look at all the missions that [the helicopter] can perform, the prevalence and multirole capability of the helicopter means there will always be a military role for it. . . . In my mind, it is about complementing the helicopter with the tactical drone, . . . bringing capabilities in terms of surveillance and armament.”
Even appeared to be calling for a step beyond the crewed-uncrewed teaming technologies that have enabled U.S. Army Apache attack helicopters to enjoy a level of control over UAS, such as the General Atomics Gray Eagle or the air-launched effects with which several countries are experimenting.
“The more we look at the future of the military helicopters, the more we consider that the answer will have to be a global solution complementing and teaming a helicopter and drone, so it is really important for us to have a drone solution but also a mission system with the connectivity to be able to connect with the drone,” Even explained.
The idea appears to be analogous to that of loyal wingmen or collaborative combat aircraft proposed for next--generation combat aircraft, such as the European Future Combat Air System.
During Farnborough, NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) defense materiel organization announced that Airbus had been selected as one of three helicopter manufacturers to deliver integrated concepts for military rotorcraft.
As part of its proposal, Airbus’ concept art showed its compound helicopter being escorted to the front line by gun-toting multicopter drones (AW&ST Aug. 12-Sept. 1, p. 36).
To make the vision a reality, Airbus has adopted what Even calls a global three-pillar strategy, one pillar of which is development of systems such as the company’s VSR700, a heavy fuel-engine--powered, uncrewed, rotary-wing aircraft that Airbus is targeting at a French Navy requirement. But one product does not make a portfolio, Even noted, which is why in January, the company acquired Aerovel, the Bingen, Washington-based developer of the Flexrotor UAS, a 25-kg (55-lb.), tail-sitting, rotary-wing UAS with a 7-8-kg payload capability. Even says it is highly complementary to the company’s existing product line, including the VSR700.
He would not specify the next steps—whether more platforms will be developed in-house or whether he will seek more acquisitions—but both are options. “I don’t have a final answer to this question,” Even said. “What I do know is that we need to be able to propose a global solution for the helicopter and the drone. . . . There will be situations where the customer has its own drone, so it is essential that we can offer an open architecture to connect those drones to our helicopters.” Another step is to develop uncrewed versions of its existing helicopters, he said, such as the project that produced an uncrewed version of the Eurocopter UH-72 for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Aerial Logistics Connector program.
Some observers have questioned the future of the battlefield helicopter in high-intensity conflicts, particularly after Russia’s failed helicopter-borne assault of Kyiv’s Hostomel Airport at the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, but Even says the failure of that mission was more likely due to the concept of operations, such as attacking in daylight, which made the aircraft more vulnerable to ground fire.
“One of the lessons of Ukraine is the transparency of the battlefield,” Even said. “You can be engaged very quickly. This confirms that the helicopter is still one of the best answers for the battlefield. It is agile—you can move quickly.”
One capability that could boost the helicopter, he suggests, is the addition of longer-range munitions that provide greater standoff capability. Without an obvious weapon available in Europe, one option could be the Israeli Rafael Spike NLOS missile. It is being integrated on the Apache and could be added on the H145M platform as Airbus works to integrate more precision-guided weapons onto that aircraft.
The NGRC program could bring together many of these capabilities and more, Even suggested. While encouraged by the progress as the alliance looks to develop a future medium-lift rotorcraft, he admitted he would ultimately like to see a European-developed system emerge: “We consider that it should be a European program for a European requirement and that the best answer should be European cooperation.”
Even’s hopes for cooperation with Leonardo Helicopters were dashed when the Italian manufacturer declared that it would propose a tiltrotor configuration for the NGRC concepts with U.S. manufacturer Bell.
“I was surprised to see Leonardo work with Bell,” Even said. “The best thing for Europe and European industry is to work together and to cooperate, as we did for the [NHIndustries] NH90.”
As part of its concept work, Airbus teamed up with RTX’s Collins Aerospace and Raytheon businesses as well as European missile manufacturer MBDA.
However, the NGRC concept work is far from a formal launch of a program, Even noted, and those selected by the NSPA will help the NATO allies begin maturing the system.
Much will depend on the level of emphasis that the allies put on the need for high-speed rotorcraft, Even said, noting that there is an inevitable price to pay in terms of aircraft size, weight, complexity and cost of operation.
Even said Airbus’ X3 compound technology is the best compromise in terms of simplicity and maturity, noting that the company’s latest high-speed technology demonstrator, the Rapid and Cost-Effective Rotorcraft (Racer), achieved its 220-kt. speed target in June after just seven flights. That success “shows that the formula is a good one,” Even said (AW&ST June 3-16, p. 50). “From the beginning, we have said it cannot be a high-speed [helicopter] for high speed’s sake but about value for the customer, including high speed when necessary.”
Airbus, Leonardo Helicopters and Sikorsky, will mature their concepts over the next 13 months and deliver proposals to NSPA at the end of 2025.
In the meantime, Airbus is buoyed by sales of military variants of its commercial helicopters. The twin-engine H145M has captured international interest as a multirole platform capable of light attack, transport, training and special missions. The type also has been ordered or delivered to Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg and Serbia; Belgium recently placed 15 orders for it.
Military sales of the H225 heavy helicopter are also strong. The company closed in on contract signature for about 14 for the Netherlands and reportedly a similar number for Iraq. It also emerged during Farnborough that Airbus Helicopters has been working with GE Aerospace to develop a new rotary-wing turboshaft engine with increased efficiency, reliability and a lower environmental impact. It is unclear whether the new development would be a conventional or hybrid engine aimed at a new commercial or military product or intended for reengining existing aircraft.
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