From: Harold Brattland <habrattland@arvig.net> Sent: Friday, August 7, 2026 9:20 AM To: Brattland, Mike * <mgbrattland@gerlecreek.com> Subject: Aviation Week :: NATO Rotorcraft Program Enters Competitive Concept Design Phase Two articles...for Bubba to get off the Iran subject... Check out this site https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/nato-rotorcraft-program... -- NATO Rotorcraft Program Enters Competitive Concept Design Phase Tony Osborne <https://aviationweek.com/author/tony-osborne> August 03, 2026 <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2026-08/ngrc.jpg?itok=TMf-C4sl> Credit: Leonardo LONDON—The NATO-led effort to develop a replacement for Europe’s battlefield utility and naval helicopters has entered a competitive phase. Airbus, Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> , Leonardo and Sikorsky and their teams of partners and suppliers are set to develop and deliver a new set of detailed concept design solutions <https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/airbus-boeing-leonardo-sikorsky-prequalify-ngrc-development> for the alliance’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC). That program could lead to the development of a new medium rotorcraft that would operate on Europe’s battlefields and at sea from a warship. The four airframers have already successfully pre-qualified to enter the Concept Design phase and will have until the end of August 2027 to respond to the request for proposals. These rotorcraft solutions will be developed against a refined set of undisclosed requirements. Once returned they will be evaluated by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) through a new acquisition process called “Acquisition by Qualified Options.” Under this arrangement, proposed solutions will be scored based on a pre-defined weighting. Once evaluated, the NSPA will refer to the nations for their final decision on the next steps toward further development and an industrial program that could be launched by the end of the decade. The current NGRC participants are Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK. NATO formally launched the NGRC initiative in 2022 following several years of multinational pre-concept studies led by the UK. Similar initiatives in the late 1980s were the genesis of what ultimately became the NATO Helicopter for the 90s—now the NHIndustries NH90, developed by Airbus, Leonardo and Fokker. What emerges from NGRC could go on to replace around 1,000 helicopters of different types currently in service with NATO nations. These could include Airbus Puma-family platforms, Mil Mi-8/17, Sikorsky UH-60/S-70s, Leonardo AW101s and the NH90. Three of the four interested companies had already participated in NATO’s Study 5 developing a series of rotorcraft concepts based on an earlier set of requirements. Each of the bidders in Study 5 had the option to provide two concepts. Both the Airbus and Sikorsky teams provided two—one a conventional rotorcraft, the other based on their compound rotorcraft technologies—while the Leonardo/Bell team provided a single proposal, based on their tiltrotor technology as reported by Aviation Week last November <https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/industry-concepts-refining-nato-future-rotorcraft-plans> . Last month, Sikorsky declared it would be entering the concept design phase <https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/sikorsky-proposes-production-ngrc-rotorcraft-europe> and said that if its proposals were selected by the nations, it would locate development, production and component manufacturing for the aircraft in Europe, without specifying a location. Sikorsky had proposed a conventional single main rotor platform and another based on its X2 compound technology combining a co-axial rotor system and pusher propeller. <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/author_thumbnail/public/uploads/2014/03/osborneanthony.jpg?itok=L0wfjts5> Tony Osborne <https://aviationweek.com/author/tony-osborne> Email: tony.osborne@aviationweek.com <mailto:tony.osborne@aviationweek.com> Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sikorsky Proposes Production Of NGRC Rotorcraft In Europe Tony Osborne <https://aviationweek.com/author/tony-osborne> July 17, 2026 <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2026-07/ngrc4.png?itok=wIKXliol> This conventional single main rotor design was one of two concepts proposed by Sikorsky for NGRC. Credit: Sikorsky Sikorsky would commit to opening helicopter production facilities in Europe if its proposals for NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) are selected by the partner nations. In a July 16 announcement ahead of the Farnborough Airshow <https://aviationweek.com/shownews/airshow-news> and the upcoming launch of the NGRC Concept Design phase by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), the airframer says it would develop, produce and conduct component manufacturing in Europe, although it does not say where these facilities would be located. Sikorsky would also “partner with leading European aerospace firms, industry and suppliers as part of a robust, locally sourced NGRC production line,” it says. The NGRC aims to replace around 1,000 medium helicopters of different types currently in service with NATO nations from the late 2030s and 2040s. Previous collaborations in the late 1980s were the genesis of what ultimately became the NATO Helicopter for the 1990s—now the NHIndustries NH90 developed by Airbus, Leonardo and Fokker. Sikorsky is one of four airframers that have been approved to enter the Concept Design phase after passing a pre-qualification assessment at the end of 2025. Other successful bidders include Airbus, Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> and Leonardo. This phase, to be launched imminently, will develop a new set of detailed concept design solutions for the future rotorcraft based on a series of refined and harmonized requirements currently under development. When these are delivered back to NSPA by the bidders in mid-2027, they will be evaluated and scored based on a predefined weighting. NSPA, as contracting authority, will perform the evaluation of the proposals and will come back to the nations for their decisions. NGRC nations include France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and Canada. The U.S. and Spain are currently observers. In an earlier concept stage, Sikorsky proposed two rotorcraft configurations: one conventional single main rotor and another based on the company’s X2 compound technology, which uses a coaxial main rotor and a pusher propellor for high-speed flight. X2 technology had previously been offered for the U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft, but was rejected by the service in favor of Bell’s tiltrotor design. “We are committed to strengthening our strategic partnerships, expanding industrial capacity and deepening our long-term presence in Europe,” said Dennis Goege, Lockheed Martin’s chief executive for Europe. “Local production supports a highly skilled regional workforce, reinforces Europe’s defense industrial base and enhances NATO readiness,” he added. Sikorsky already has a production capability in Europe through its ownership of PZL-Mielec in Poland, which builds the S-70 Black Hawk. Beyond Europe, Sikorsky says it is also pushing a global variant of its NGRC X2 proposal in Asia. <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/author_thumbnail/public/uploads/2014/03/osborneanthony.jpg?itok=L0wfjts5> Tony Osborne <https://aviationweek.com/author/tony-osborne> Email: tony.osborne@aviationweek.com <mailto:tony.osborne@aviationweek.com> Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines.