Another statement from
RAeS Next Generation Rotorcraft Conference: Future Military Medium Lift Helicopter for 2040+
Speaking at the virtual Royal Aeronautical Society Next-Generation Rotorcraft Conference on 21 January, Jerome Combe, Portfolio Policy & Strategy at Airbus Helicopters France, said that the NATO Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme announced last year provides an opportunity for Airbus and Leonardo to come together to consolidate and cement Europe’s place at the top of the global helicopter marke
“It is important to bear in mind that European industry – Airbus and Leonardo – is leading the civilian part of the helicopter world. Between us, we have up to 80% of the market share. This did not happen by itself but through major military programmes in the 1980s and 1990s that we were then able to onboard onto our civilian range of helicopters. If we do not have a major programme for the 2030 horizon, then we would clearly be at risk of losing this leadership,” Combe said. “[With the NGRC] we think that there is a real opportunity for Europe to align and to think about what really should be a European next-generation rotorcraft, adapted to European needs, using European know-how, and [that delivers] sovereignty for European industry.
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/n...aft-capability
Although I have my doubts this probably makes sense in the likely 2030/40s scenario.
I presume the idea is to build on the NH-90 experience, where this would leave the rump of Westlands in the post-Brexit world is a question. As the UK pulled out of the NH programme and has a tendancy to plough its own requirements furrow, will the UK become a take or leave it customer for whatever the US or EU helicopter manufacturers have to offer or will its likely share of the European total buy still give it influence on the European product and workshare distribution? As a 30% shareholder of Leornado, I'm sure the Italian government would want to use it's influence to the benefit of manufacturing at Verigiate.