Stuck in an ATR....Yep..the NH90 is the only fielded full FBW helo as yet ...and don't forget aspects of V22. You are right in assuming FBW would bring the same and some additional benefits to rotorcraft (depending on size and role) and that the challenge has been more complex and expensive in sorting it. Do not forget that FW FBW took many years of experiment, research and data gathering on specially rebuilt test platforms such as the EAP and a Jaguar at Farnborough..as just in the UK example. Several countries had experimental programmes running from the 80s onwards to sort the development...with only the US and Franco German programmes seeing their results reaching conclusions. The UK spent many years gathering the immense handling qualities data required to understand the control dynamic issues that would lead to the programming of any helo FBW AFCS. This also contributed jointly to the equivalent NASA programme which fed the Commanche AFCS development and design. In the UK we were to have a Lynx FBW development programme but despite it being a high priority research programme it was
cancelled in 1990.....it would have proven of immense value to the EH101 in due course, as well as aircraft such as the new Wildcat...but there we go...the UK committed techno industrial suicide again!
Also at one stage there might have been some FBW in the Merlin HMA2 upgrade happening now...but the risks were considered to high for the time and money available so it has been dropped. Any other questions..PM me.
