Airbus Outlines Rotorcraft Concepts for NATO NGRC Study

Our Bureau - : Feb 23, 2026 - : 10:46 pm

Airbus Helicopters has presented two rotorcraft concepts in response to requirements under NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capabilities (NGRC) study. The company’s proposal, developed with Collins Aerospace and Raytheon, both part of RTX, as well as MBDA, comprises a high-performance conventional...

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Airbus Helicopters has presented two rotorcraft concepts in response to requirements under NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capabilities (NGRC) study.

The company’s proposal, developed with Collins Aerospace and Raytheon, both part of RTX, as well as MBDA, comprises a high-performance conventional helicopter and a high-speed compound configuration. Airbus said the dual approach is intended to provide operational efficiency while allowing complementary fleet structures for military operators.

According to the company, modularity and simplified design are central to the proposal. Both concepts are based on a Modular Open System Architecture intended to support manufacturing, maintenance and future upgrades, with an emphasis on long-term affordability. The two platforms are designed to share common elements in maintenance, training, weapons and onboard systems, and to offer a high degree of connectivity.

"We want to ensure that Europe is in a position to propose a platform that will best fit our military partners’ needs in terms of affordability, operational efficiency and maximum availability for both the conventional helicopter and for the high speed rotorcraft. These two concepts are a basis to further exchange with our military partners on their vision and need for future military operations,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.

“Airbus Helicopters is actively working on the future of its military range. On the one hand, we are preparing the evolution of our legacy range with a continuous improvement policy. With the Block 1 and 2 studies, we have a long-term NH90 evolution roadmap. Our dual product range, the H145M, the H160M, and the H225M, is setting new standards for military helicopters in terms of affordability, connectivity, and maintenance,” he explained.

“On the other hand, we are working on the next generation of rotorcraft systems, leveraging modular multi-platform technologies such as connectivity, cybersecurity, crewed-uncrewed teaming, multi-domain collaborative combat, survivability and battle damage repair,” he added.

In July 2024, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency awarded Airbus Helicopters a contract to lead a concept study under the NGRC project, bringing together participating nations to examine the design, development, delivery and support of a medium multi-role helicopter.

Airbus said its high-speed concept draws on experience from previous compound demonstrators, including the Eurocopter X3 and the Airbus Racer. The compound configuration combines wings and propellers to increase cruise speed and extend the flight envelope compared with conventional helicopters, while enabling rapid acceleration, deceleration, climb and descent.

Flight evaluations of Racer conducted by military pilots under the European Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies programme have informed the concept, Airbus said, alongside operational feedback from existing customers.

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