Driving innovation at Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters maintains its technological leadership with products offering increased performance, enhanced mission capabilities, and ever higher safety standards.

“Our innovation roadmaps focus on developing the autonomy and interactive capacity of our aircraft, as well as improving performance, particularly in terms of energy efficiency. This enables our military customers to increase the capabilities of their helicopters in ever more challenging environments,” emphasises Denis Descheemaeker, Head of Research and Innovation. “In today’s operational environment, helicopters are increasingly being integrated with interconnected systems. That’s why we are focusing our efforts primarily on technologies that enable collaboration between crewed and uncrewed systems.”

A comprehensive strategy

Airbus Helicopters’ innovation strategy covers short, medium, and long term objectives. Short term objectives include, for example, promoting the automation of helicopters to reduce crew workload and thereby increase flight safety. This objective can be achieved through the development of new flight control laws and next generation avionics. “In the medium term, we will introduce disruptive features to aircraft like the NH90, with more impactful research projects,” states Denis Descheemaeker. “For the longer term, we are already working on innovative designs for next generation systems, with a major focus on crewed uncrewed teaming.” 

International teamwork

To highlight this capability, Airbus Helicopters participated in the international MUSHER programme last year, which tested the integration of two helicopters and two drones of different categories. “This was a joint project, showing that we can work with partners and even competitors to defend Europe and NATO,” Denis Descheemaeker explains. MUSHER is just the first step. Increased interaction with drones will eventually lead to the development of a truly collaborative bubble involving players in the air and on the ground. Such teaming could also have dual applications in the civil sector. Denis Descheemaeker points to the potential use of drone helicopter tandems in fighting forest fires. “The quest for autonomy begins with understanding the environment surrounding the helicopter, with the initial goal of automating landings, including those on rough terrain, using Lidar,” notes Denis Descheemaeker. 

In the military sector, this environmental monitoring could be used to detect moving objects, thereby protecting helicopters from drones. However, automation also affects cruise control, providing improved navigation capabilities for the crew. This would improve both flight safety and fuel economy. 

Other work focuses on predictive maintenance, the use of new materials, and research into high speed flight, as seen in the ENGRT* project. This is an area where Airbus Helicopters has already demonstrated its expertise with the Racer demonstrator. “Decarbonisation is another area of focus, particularly in terms of engine hybridisation,” concludes Denis Descheemaeker. “Our objectives here are twofold: to increase safety with electric assistance in the event of failure, but also, depending on the flight phase, to make the helicopter quieter. These are two areas where dual use applications are obvious for both civil and military purposes.”

 

*ENGRT: European Next Generation Rotorcraft Technology

Airbus Helicopters' four flying test benches for rapid reseach and development

•  Flightlab: a modified H130 that can be used to test new equipment in flight very quickly. •  DisruptiveLab: a lightweight aircraft optimised for research into new engines.  •  PioneerLab: an H145 used for research into advanced hybridisation and environmental awareness. •  RACER: an aircraft designed to test a new helicopter configuration with wings and propellers capable of setting speed records.