What Leonardo will do with the American Bell for the tiltrotor (in France they mutter…)
Leonardo and Bell have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to evaluate collaboration opportunities in the field of tiltrotor technologies. Facts and comments
Leonardo and Bell — global leaders in the design, construction and support of rotary-wing aircraft — team up for the tiltrotor.
The Italian defense and aerospace giant and Textron have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to evaluate collaboration opportunities in the field of tiltrotor technologies. This was announced in a press release from the company led by Roberto Cingolani.
The collaborative effort includes a first real commitment to the NATO Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) study – Concept Study #5 – in which Leonardo will lead a proposal based on the tiltrotor architecture, with support from Bell, the statement explains.
On the other hand, “Bell and Leonardo share a decades-long history of industrial collaboration both in the field of traditional helicopters and in convertiplane technology” we read further.
So now the two companies will evaluate cooperation opportunities in the domain of military helicopters in the United States and Europe. The French press mutters: “A new challenge for the strategic autonomy of Europe's defense” writes La Tribune today.
All the details.
THE STRATEGY OF LEONARDO AND BELL
“This collaborative effort between Bell and Leonardo reflects our shared vision that the next generation of rotary-wing aircraft will be informed by speed, range and maneuverability characteristics that only tiltrotor technology can provide,” said Lisa Atherton, President and CEO of Bell. “We are proud to strengthen the relationship with Leonardo at a time when we continue to evaluate emerging vertical flight programs in Europe and the United States,” added the Bell top manager.
And Gian Piero Cutillo, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters, said: “We enthusiastically evaluate new joint efforts in next-generation rotorcraft technologies, based on a solid and shared vision on the unique advantages of tiltrotor aircraft. Leonardo has always firmly supported these technologies in order to satisfy new requirements, today even more so in light of the emerging needs in the market".
EXPERIENCE IN HELICOPTER CONVERTIBLE TECHNOLOGY
Furthermore, Bell's tiltrotor portfolio boasts the V-22 Osprey – built in collaboration with Boeing – and the V-280 Valor, which won the US Army's FLRAA (Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft) competition.
For its part, Leonardo has developed a civil tiltrotor aircraft called the AW609. The tiltrotor can take off vertically like a helicopter and fly offering passengers the comfort of an airplane. It can carry out a variety of missions, not just private or business trips. But also medical transport, search and rescue and offshore transport to support the energy industry and patrolling, both for private and government users.
The AW609 can fly at over 500 km/h, with a range of almost 1,400 km, which increases to over 2,000 km with auxiliary fuel tanks. “We are convinced that the Aw609 will be truly capable of revolutionizing point-to-point connections and other types of missions, providing a substantial contribution to the evolution of the use of airspace” Cutillo again underlined in 2022 .
THE COMMENT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF RID
The one between Leonardo and Bell "It is a high profile strategic agreement whose main focus concerns the military sector" commented Pietro Batacchi, director of Rid .
“Immediately, the MoU will have an immediate impact – continues Batacchi – on the NATO Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) program, to which Leonardo and Bell will respond with a common proposal based on the tiltrotor architecture: the leadership will be from Leonardo and Bell will work in support. Other potential areas of cooperation will concern the promotion of Leonardo's AW-609 on the American government market and the opening of the second phase of the Italian Defense study, Next Generation Fast Helicopter (NGFH), to other solutions – precisely, the tiltrotor one – beyond the compound one explored in the first phase".
THE CONTROVERSY IN THE FRENCH PRESS
Yet, according to the French newspaper La Tribune , “European countries will have to express their operational needs corresponding to the real needs of their forces and not necessarily copy them on a need expressed by the Americans. But, through this agreement with Bell, Leonardo brings the wolf into the fold not only within the framework of European (and French) strategic autonomy but also within the framework of the competitiveness of the European defense industry and the helicopter sector”.
And in this regard, the article refers to the theses supported by the CEO of Airbus Helicopters, Bruno Even, in June 2023 in La Tribune: "As part of the NATO NGRC programme, European countries must face the challenge of supporting European industry by defining their needs for the new generation”. They will have to choose between the need for autonomy, connectivity and high speed. Be careful not to necessarily align yourself with the concept of high speed chosen by the Americans. Europe's operational needs are not necessarily those of the Americans."
Therefore "Faced with the United States who want to impose their solution, the question today is whether European countries will want a "Made in Europe" solution when the question of the launch of new generation helicopters arises in 2035/2040" commented the French newspaper.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/leonardo-si-allea-con-lamericana-bell-per-il-convertiplano/ on Fri, 01 Mar 2024 06:41:58 +0000.