Military rotorcrafts remain indispensable on the modern battlefield, but as conflicts in Afghanistan and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war have shown, the current-generation of helicopters in military service face various shortfalls in protection, payload, performance and range.

These capability shortfalls can largely be addressed with more powerful powerplants, that will cater for requirements such as additional armour protection, greater payload, improved 'Hot & High' performance and longer range. The development of state-of-the-art high-performance turboshaft engines is, however, the preserve of the US, Russia and less than a handful of European nations, though a greater number of countries today have their own military rotorcraft development programmes such as China, India, Turkey, South Korea and Japan. All these nations with strong rotorcraft programmes are also seized of the importance of preserving the industrial base and supply chains to continue to produce helicopters.

The ongoing quagmire in Ukraine has also sapped the resources of Russia, which instead of funding its next-generation military rotorcraft is now consumed with the need to fund an active conflict. This presents a real opportunity for countries that have robust rotorcraft programmes to replace the large fleets of Russian-origin Mil and Kamov design bureau military helicopters in the coming decade.

Through the looking glass

For Western militaries, their current military helicopter designs remain well-suited for any conflict that may arise on the European continent but are less suited for military operations with their partners operating in 'Hot & High' conditions in the Middle East and the Indo Pacific region.

The payload capability of a helicopter dramatically decreases while operating in such conditions, something further exacerbated by an increase in helicopter operating weights due to added armour protection, enhanced self-protection equipment and avionics upgrades, to name a few. As a result, there is a need for more powerful rotorcraft powerplants not only for current-generation rotorcraft but also for radically different propulsion options for future rotorcraft, which are slated to enter service towards the latter half of the next decade.

The European Next Generation Rotorcraft will be a military helicopter in the 8-15t class, offering greater range, higher speed, better manoeuvrability and higher availability, than its predecessors. The concept studies underway today for a future European military rotorcraft powerplant will, in all likelihood converge on a hybrid-electric propulsion solution, with increased use of high-temperature materials improving engine efficiency and greater use of additive manufacturing reducing engine weight and manufacturing complexity. Such a design is likely to be the only way to meet the competing requirements of greater engine power, with increased fuel-efficiency along with reducing operating, maintenance costs and the need to cater for decarbonisation objectives set forth by the European Nations for 2035 and 2050.

In June, Safran and MTU Aero Engines announced the creation of the European Military Rotorcraft Engine Alliance (EURA), a 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) to power the next generation of European military helicopters. Speaking to FW, a Safran Helicopter Engine spokesperson said, “the future engine, which has the ambition of significantly increasing engine efficiency while reducing operating and maintenance costs at the same time, will be particularly well suited to the ENGRT project,” adding that the outlook for the company’s high-power engines is very promising.

The initial technology development phase will run from 2025 to 2029, while engine development is slated to begin from 2030 onwards for a planned entry-into-service date by 2040. EURA will be based in Bordes (France), Safran Helicopter Engines headquarters, while its CEO will be from MTU. This future engine family will be a dramatic advance over current generation engines in service with European nations. 

The US will be first to induct the next generation of military rotorcraft, and its Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) programme is targeting the entry into service of the first operational unit in 2030. Bell Textron announced in August, that the Milestone B decision for the FLRAA had been approved by the army, marking the start of the V-280 Valor tiltrotor’s Program of Record. The V-280 is considered as a third-generation tiltrotor design and is powered by two Rolls-Royce’s AE 1107F engines.

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