DEFENCE Future military rotorcraft conference report
Blade runners for 2040+
On 20-21 January, 2021 the RAeS held a landmark virtual conference exploring the future of military rotorcraft – and provided an insight into the evolution and revolution in programmes on both sides of the Atlantic. TIM ROBINSON, FRAeS reports.
Leonardo’s medium AW149 helicopter. Leonardo
Speed and range? Or maintainability and interoperability? These were some of the requirements and drivers being discussed for new military rotorcraft that, once in service, may serve out the rest of the 21st Century. Taking part in the ‘RAeS Next-Generation Military Rotorcraft Conference: Future Military Medium-Lift Helicopter for 2040+’ virtual event were high-level speakers from the armed forces, industry and defence labs, making for a wide-ranging international agenda.
Ageing fleets driving replacement
The combined market and need for military medium rotorcraft in the US (and NATO) is huge, seeking to replace the ubiquitous Black Hawk family (first flight in 1974 and of which 4,000 of all versions have been produced). The Washington-led ‘Forever Wars’ of the post-9/11 global ‘war on terror’, which have seen extended deployments, have also accelerated the wear and tear on these platforms.
In the US, the need for a replacement for the now ageing and worn-out Black Hawk and scout helicopters has additionally given a shot in the arm for the US helicopter industry, which has slowly been losing ground in the global commercial helicopter market. The recent procurements of the Airbus UK72 Lakota, (US Army) Boeing/Leonardo MH-149 Gray Wolf (USAF) and the Leonardo TH-119A (US Navy) show how Europe’s militarised civil models have managed to penetrate the previously impregnable US defence market by offering modern, affordable, offthe-shelf solutions.
The requirement for US Future Vertical Lift (FVL) and one of its components, Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) also builds on experience from the V-22 tiltrotor, seeking to push the speed and performance of rotorcraft to new levels to meet 21st Century threats. The US, with its eye on the expanses of the Pacific, has needs that differ in emphasising speed (280kt) and reach for its next rotorcraft – along with increased survivability to face demanding near-peer threats.
Meanwhile, in Europe, which has started its search later than the US, the situation is similar with ageing fleets of multirole helicopters that range from the Puma (first flight 1965) to the AW101 (first flight 1987). Even the newest European rotorcraft, the NH90, first flew in 1995 – a quarter of a century ago.
Despite its global success in commercial and parapublic rotorcraft markets, Europe cannot rest on its laurels either. It faces increasing competition in military rotorcraft, not only from the US, pursuing its own high-speed solutions, but also from new entrants, such as South Korea, Turkey, India and China who are now developing their own helicopters with a view to capturing a slice of the global defence market.
These big programmes in Europe and the US are thus helping shape the future of military rotorcraft. With military aerospace programmes now taking roughly 20 years to enter service, the clock is now ticking on defining and firming up requirements to allow industry to respond and decide on which technology trades to include.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the conference.
In late January Boeing and Sikorsky revealed their proposal for the US Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) rotorcraft requirement, the Defiant X. The Defiant X is based on the teams’ earlier SB>1 Defiant co-axial technology demonstrator but features a different outer-mould line, tricyle-landing gear and shrouded exhaust system. Boeing Defense
The UK perspective on future rotorcraft
Giving the UK perspective was Col Paul Morris, Assistant Head of Plans, Capability Air Manoeuvre, British Army, who said that, even in 2040, “Lift, find and attack will be truisms of tomorrow, as well as today” for the future rotary-wing platforms. Morris noted that, for the 2040s, joint rotorcraft would be participating in ‘prototype warfare’ where there would be no ‘simply training’ sorties or deployments. Additionally, future helicopters would need to be integrated and on the network to take full advantage of multi-domain information superiority.
To meet these challenges of the future battlespace, Morris highlighted that the British Army had already received two examples of 50 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardians in November of last year. These, he said, would provide a “truly gamechanging” capability for the Army and would be front-line ready in a year with an IOC of April 2022.
Moving to transport helicopters, Morris also outlined plans for a two-phase Chinook Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP), which would see the the oldest and most tired airframes of the RAF’s 60 CH-47 fleet replaced with new-build examples – with the majority of airframes in the Chinook fleet expected to have flown more than 10,000hr by 2034. A second CSP tranche would seek to ‘address issues with the remaining fleet’.
The NATO NGRC
Meanwhile, Lt Cdr Andrew White RN, Secretary to NATO’s Next-Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) gave more details into the thinking behind this pan-European helicopter project. Coming at the end of 2020, a key agreement was signed in October by the defence ministers of five nations (UK, Italy, France, Germany and Greece). This aims to replace approximately 1,000 medium multirole helicopters across European NATO fleets, with entry into service set for 2035+. This excludes France’s Joint Light Helicopter (HIL) programme (which is replacing multiple types, such as Panthers and Gazelles) with the H160M.
White noted that, with military aircraft taking roughly 20 years to develop, the time was right to push ahead with this programme in order to meet the rapidly approaching out-of-service dates of the medium fleets that currently make up NATO’s medium helicopters and which range from Mi-8/17s to Pumas, as well as from UH-60s to AW101s.
White explained that, while technology drivers for this timeframe could include: fly-by-wire, advanced manned/unmanned teaming, augmented reality and even directed energy weapons, a key finding of the 2018 NGRC ToE (Team of Experts) was that next-generation rotorcraft should be designed to be modular. This would reduce life-cycle costs, enhance interoperability and sustainment. Affordability and commonality is thus set to be a main focus, rather than pure performance. “We don’t necessarily see that it has to be superfast,” said White, adding that requirements will be relatively broad. White noted that NGRC should be seen as ‘complementary’ to US FVL, rather than “necessarily a rival”.
The UK is now leading the pre-concept phase on this project, with an industry read-ahead pack set to go out in Q1 of 2021, followed by an interactive industry day this year. First aircraft deliveries are set for 2035, with a planned production run of 20 years.
The need for speed? Two approaches from different sides of the Atlantic – the Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor (top left) and Airbus Helicopters’ RACER compound helicopter(top right), developed from its X3 demonstrator.
Yugo, Malibu or Cadillac?
Meanwhile, another presentation from Dan Newman, Senior Technical Fellow, Chief Engineer, Advanced Vertical Lift, Boeing, gave the view from the NATO Industries Advisory Group (NIAG) which has supported pre-NGRC studies into defining the requirements and concept of operations. In this, he said, speed, endurance, range and specific missions were ruled out. Instead, there was a focus on cost and timeline, sustainment, interoperability and regulatory approval.
One theme, outlined by Newman, was the NGRC should have multiple levels of modular capability at the outset, characterised by ‘basic’, ‘improved’ and ‘robust’. Comparing them to cars, he said this would be like Yugo, Malibu and Cadillacs, enabling nations to acquire larger numbers of the base model (Yugo) or smaller numbers of the most capable version (Cadillac) and thus being able to mix and match to meet their specific defence requirements and defence budgets. This might also allow sub-models with different equipment fits (such as secure comms or defensive aids) to be allocated to specific missions, yet retain the same basic commonality.
Airbus pitches H175 as Puma replacement
With the RAF’s ageing medium transport Puma fleet now 50 years old and set to go out of service in 2025, there is concern that neither the US FLRAA nor NGRC will meet the timescale for a replacement. The conference thus saw a surprise pitch from Airbus Helicopter’s Jerome Coombe, Head of Product Policy and Strategy, who proposed its super-medium H175 as a possible interim replacement for the RAF’s 23-strong Puma fleet – along with the potential for the UK to export military versions of this 8t helicopter with local production. He said this would offer a “huge opportunity for UK content to design this platform, but also to export from the UK”. The proposal came as a surprise, as the H175’s origins as a joint Chinese project with Aviacopter has previously precluded military versions of this helicopter being developed. Meanwhile, Leonardo has proposed its 9t AW149 medium helicopter as an interim Puma replacement for the RAF.
While Airbus and Leonardo could fight over any (currently unfunded) Puma replacement deal, Airbus Coombe put forward a plea that NGRC needed Europe’s helicopter industry to collaborate, saying there is a “real chance and opportunity for Europe to align on what should be a European next-generation rotorcraft, with European needs and European knowhow,” highlighting the immense US investment in FVL that represented a resurgent industrial threat to the European helicopter sector.
The view from the US
The conference also heard the view from across the Atlantic, where the US FVL (Future Vertical Lift) is seeking to replace scout and medium-lift helicopters with its next-generation high-speed rotorcraft under its FARA (Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft) and FLRAA (Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft). Colonel David Phillips, Project Manager, FLRAA, gave an update on this effort, which is now seeing the Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor pitted against the Boeing-Sikorsky Defiant X compound helicopter. The US Army’s FLRAA, he said, will allow for ‘multi-domain operations, flying further and faster in a contested and ever-changing environment’. Through its modernisation strategy, “army aviation intends to maintain its freedom of manoeuvre” with next-generation rotorcraft. While the US is looking to long-ranges in Asia-Pacific, Phillips noted that a foundational factor was the US Army’s experience in the 1991 Gulf War, which saw air assault helicopters fly hundreds of miles to seize objectives.
Phillips also highlighted that FLRAA was not just being approached from the direction of ‘pure performance’ in speed and range above all else. Modularity, open systems and interoperability were also key requirements to make these platforms as affordable and sustainable as possible – as well as tie into the larger FVL network that will include scout/ attack helicopters and UAVs. “Cycle affordability is paramount”, said Phillips. The conference learnt the scope and pace of work had been expanded and accelerated in the second phase of development, with top-down engineering design input, as well as US Army test pilots and maintainers providing feedback on the two contractors designs. A contract award is set for 2022, with the first aircraft set to be fielded to 2030.
Technology of the future
While high-speed tiltrotors and compound helicopters might be the most visible sign of next-generation rotorcraft, the conference also heard about other advances in technology that may (or may not) be incorporated into these platforms by 2040, such as augmented reality (AR), digital twins, fuel cells, or electric power systems, leveraging the massive investment and work going on in the civil eVTOL sector.
THE CONFERENCE THEN WAS A LANDMARK EVENT IN UNDERSTANDING THE DECISIONS AND REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE SHAPING THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE MILITARY ROTORCRAFT IN EUROPE AND THE US
Particularly interesting were thoughts on piloted or unpiloted operations and the rise of autonomous systems in the multi-domain, connected battlespace of 2040. While some speakers noted the advances in AI and UAVs that now allow drones to be controlled and tasked from piloted helicopters, many remained sceptical that medium helicopters would lose the human pilot completely. Col Morris noted that, despite the technical feasibility, for high-risk, low-level troop insertion missions, the ethical and moral dimension means that humans would still be in the pilot’s seat. However, for rear resupply and routine transport tasks, there is every chance that these could move to optionally piloted or fully autonomous systems – with a lower human density for future battlefields.
Other technology discussed included directed energy weapons and there were also questions put to presenters on the environmental aspect of future rotorcraft – a growing focus for military planners to consider. There was also a presentation on the often-overlooked maintainers and operational support perspective for future rotorcraft from Captain Jo Deakin, RN, Chief Air Engineer, Naval Command.
Summary
The conference then was a landmark event in understanding the decisions and requirements that are shaping the development of future military rotorcraft in Europe and the US. On one side of the Atlantic, there is a bigger push for high-speed and performance, building on the needs of the US military with the aim of reinvigorating the US rotorcraft industry. In Europe, there is a slightly different focus, with an emphasis on affordability, maintainability and interoperability between different nations – although at this early stage the requirements of NGRC are still nebulous.
These are not necessarily conflicting goals, and Europe’s experience in high-speed rotorcraft (X3 and AW609) may yet tilt the solution to high-speed platforms. Leonardo’s Steve Allen, Head of Strategy, for example, noted that the company was “slightly hedging its bets” on whether high-speed would become more important for NRGC. He also pointed out that “standardisation of open architectures will be key” if the goal of interoperability and modularity is to be realised.
NGRC started after the US Army’s effort to replace its helicopters and is also being informed and influenced by US progress. Some nations, then, might conceivably end up fielding both, mixing a smaller number of high-speed rotorcraft for specific tasks, with a larger number of more affordable utility multi-mission helicopters.
However, suggestions that NGRC and FVL could go further than dovetailed requirements and potentially merge into one joint European-US future rotorcraft programme, perhaps ignores geopolitical and industrial realities. Already there are, behind the scenes, some concerns that some NGRC nations (namely the UK and Italy) could be seduced away to join the larger US programme, which enjoys full backing and funding. The UK itself, with an agreement with the US to look into the feasibility of FVL that was signed in 2020, is thus keeping a foot in both camps.
The main challenge, as pointed out in the summary Q&A session, might be industrial, conceptual and political, rather than pure technological in developing the next generation of future battlefield and naval helicopters.