Airbus open to partnering with Leonardo on NATO NGRC program

Airbus Helicopters CEO Matthieu Louvot said Airbus is open to partnering with Leonardo on NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) program, after the NATO Support and Procurement Agency issued a request for proposal in August for the concept design phase.

Airbus presented two NGRC concepts—a compound high‑speed design based on its X3 demonstrator and Racer program, and a high‑performance conventional helicopter—while Leonardo’s proposal evolves its tiltrotor technology recently demonstrated as the Next Generation Civil Tiltrotor; Louvot added that a joint venture could bring economies of scale, a larger customer base, pooled resources and shared development costs.