Boeing Declines to submit design for NATO NGRC high‑speed Rotorcraft RFP

NATO issued a request for proposals for the Next‑Generation Rotorcraft (NGRC) concept‑design phase on July 31, 2026, involving France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada, and pre‑qualified four bidders – Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo, Sikorsky and Boeing. Boeing has confirmed it will not submit a concept‑design proposal.

Boeing says it has no mature compound or tilt‑rotor design capable of meeting the 250‑knot cruise requirement, and its current rotorcraft portfolio, the CH‑47 Chinook and AH‑64 Apache, cannot approach that speed. The company also notes its development bandwidth is tied up with its F/A‑XX naval fighter contract win, while Airbus entered the NGRC phase with a conventional helicopter and a high‑speed compound design.