NSPA Awards Concept Study Contract to Airbus Helicopters

Our Bureau - : Jul 26, 2024 - : 10:47 pm

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The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has awarded Airbus Helicopters a contract to lead a concept study as part of the Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) project. This initiative aims to design, develop, and deliver a medium multi-role helicopter. The company will collaborate with RTX’s Collins Aerospace, Raytheon businesses, and MBDA for the 13-month study, which will evaluate two integrated concepts for next-generation military rotorcraft.

“Taking part in this NATO study for the next generation of military rotorcraft offers a unique opportunity to leverage our experience working with the different European armed forces,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “Our goal, together with our highly skilled partners, is to develop a European solution, a concept that would fulfil both the needs of the NATO armed forces while also guaranteeing industrial sovereignty for our European nations and maintaining key engineering competencies,” he added. “This project will be fully interoperable with other NATO means. With our experience in both civil and military helicopter design, we are convinced that we have the right cost effective, high performance, and operationally efficient solutions at Airbus Helicopters for the next generation of military rotorcraft.”

NSPA General Manager, Ms Stacy A. Cummings, said: “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. The strategy to launch 3 parallel contracts awarded by competition delivers on our commitment to maximise industry expertise, opportunity and engagement in the programme, and will provide a broad range of potential concepts in the study results for our multinational customers.”

France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, and Italy are participating in the project through various partner companies. Each partner will contribute to the study in its area of expertise, including helicopter design, systems integration, connectivity, weapons and effectors, avionics, and sensors. The study will focus on high-performance rotorcraft that are modular, multi-mission, and fully interoperable with NATO standards, featuring high connectivity and resilient communication systems.

More than 140 armed forces worldwide rely on Airbus’ helicopters, making Airbus one of the largest suppliers of advanced military rotorcraft globally. Its range includes dual platforms like the combat-proven H225M and H145M, as well as specialised military helicopters like the Tiger and the NH90. Airbus also offers a broad range of unmanned systems and is advancing manned-unmanned teaming capabilities. Airbus has a strong history of collaborating with European and global partners to deliver ambitious projects such as the Next Generation Rotorcraft.

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) is NATO’s leading organisation for multinational acquisition, support, and sustainment across all domains. Headquartered in Luxembourg, NSPA operates main centres in France, Hungary, and Italy, employing over 1,500 staff and overseeing more than 500 contractors worldwide.

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