The Leonardo Next-Generation Civil Tiltrotor (NextGenCTR or NGCTR) is a

tiltrotor A tiltrotor is an aircraft that generates lift (force), lift and thrust, propulsion by way of one or more powered Helicopter rotor, rotors (sometimes called ''proprotors'') mounted on rotating shaft (mechanical engineering), shafts or nacelles ...

aircraft demonstrator designed and developed by the Italian aerospace company

Leonardo S.p.A. Leonardo S.p.A., formerly Leonardo-Finmeccanica and originally Finmeccanica, is an Italian multinational company specialising in aerospace, defence and security. Headquartered in Rome, the company has 180 sites worldwide. It is the 12th largest ...

Studies for a two times larger tiltrotor than the

AgustaWestland AW609 The Leonardo AW609, formerly the AgustaWestland AW609, and originally the Bell-Agusta BA609, is a twin-engined tiltrotor VTOL aircraft with an overall configuration similar to that of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. It is capable of landing vertic ...

started in 2000. Since 2014, its development is sponsored by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

's Clean Sky 2 program. By May 2021, major components were under production By 2023, the

maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...

had been pushed back to 2024, from a 2020 initial plan. The

MTOW The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft, also known as the maximum structural takeoff weight or maximum structural takeoff mass, is the maximum weight at which the p ...

, pressurised aircraft should seat 19 to 22 passengers, reach up to over a

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

of . Initial requirements targeted lower costs than conventional

rotorcraft A rotary-wing aircraft, rotorwing aircraft or rotorcraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft with rotor wing, rotary wings that spin around a vertical mast to generate lift (force), lift. Part 1 (Definitions and Abbreviations) of Subchapter A of Chapt ...

. The engines stay in a fixed position while the proprotors swivels independently, powered by a split gearbox.

Development

During 1998, the European helicopter manufacturer

AgustaWestland AgustaWestland was an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica (now known as Leonardo). It was formed in July 2000 as an Anglo-Italian multinational company, when Finmeccani ...

partnered with the American aerospace company

Bell Helicopters Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, United States as well as commercial heli ...

to develop a production

based on the earlier experimental

Bell XV-15 The Bell XV-15 is an American tiltrotor VTOL aircraft. It was the second successful experimental tiltrotor aircraft and the first to demonstrate the concept's high speed performance relative to conventional helicopters. Development Early VTOL ...

. The resulting

is the first civilian tiltrotor. In 2000, AgustaWestland began studies for the ''Next-Generation Civil Tiltrotor'' (NGCTR), twice the size of the AW609. In August 2014, the

launched its CleanSky 2 research initiative, to award contracts advancing aerospace technology. AgustaWestland received $328 million through this programme towards the NGCTR, then in the detailed design study phase, while 60% of the funding was passed on to partners in the project, along with the Airbus RACER compound helicopter. By October 2014, the

was targeted for 2020. New prop-rotor designs, new wing geometries, optimized engine configurations, lean manufacturing, low carbon footprint and other applicable technologies were evaluated. By 2017, the first flight had been pushed back to 2023. During September 2017, an

Italian Aerospace Research Centre The Italian Aerospace Research Centre (, CIRA) is a consortium established in July 1984 to promote the growth and success of the aerospace industry in Italy (its head-office is in Capua). The majority of CIRA share capital is held by government org ...

-led consortium was selected to design and produce the NGCTR's wing. In 2018, Leonardo defined the rotorcraft's structural requirements with a

preliminary design review In the United States military integrated acquisition lifecycle the technical section has multiple acquisition technical reviews. Technical reviews and audits assist the acquisition and the number and types are tailored to the acquisition. Overall ...

released on 26 November, before a

critical design review In the United States military integrated acquisition lifecycle the technical section has multiple acquisition technical reviews. Technical reviews and audits assist the acquisition and the number and types are tailored to the acquisition. Overall ...

in 2019, the prototype's wing assembly in 2020. The preliminary design review started in December 2018 and was scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2019, while the critical design review was pushed back to 2020 and prototype construction was then planned between 2021 and 2022. In early 2019, Leonardo selected the

General Electric CT7 The General Electric T700 and CT7 are a family of turboshaft and turboprop engines in the class. Design and development In 1967, General Electric began work on a new turboshaft engine demonstrator designated the "GE12" in response to US Army i ...

turboshaft to power the NGCTR demonstrator. The wing was tested in a

windtunnel A wind tunnel is "an apparatus for producing a controlled stream of air for conducting aerodynamic experiments". The experiment is conducted in the test section of the wind tunnel and a complete tunnel configuration includes air ducting to and f ...

for a second phase in early 2021. By May 2021, major components of the demonstrator were under production by Leonardo and its partners ahead of final assembly. Certification must comply with EASA CS-25 for large airplanes and CS-29 for large rotorcraft. By 2023, first flight was planned for 2024.

Design

The preliminary design concept, aimed at the

deepwater drilling Deepwater drilling, or deep well drilling, is the process of creating holes in the Earth's crust using a drilling rig for oil extraction under the deep sea. There are approximately 3400 deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico with depths greater t ...

energy market, was of a

pressurized Pressurization or pressurisation is the application of pressure in a given situation or environment. Examples Industrial Industrial equipment is often maintained at pressures above or below atmospheric. Atmospheric This is the process by which a ...

aircraft with an

to seat 19 to 22 passengers, reach up to over a

of and up to a

ceiling A ceiling is an overhead interior roof that covers the upper limits of a room. It is not generally considered a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the roof structure or the floor of a story above. Ceilings can ...

of . The initial requirements targeted direct operating costs that were 30% below those of conventional rotorcraft, while recurring costs were 50% below. The CleanSky 2 performance objectives for 2020, compared to contemporary aircraft from 2000, were a 17% drag reduction, a 7% to 20% noise reduction, and a

radius In classical geometry, a radius (: radii or radiuses) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its Centre (geometry), center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The radius of a regular polygon is th ...

flown in 1 hour 45 minutes, hover included. By 2021, AgustaWestland intends to achieve comparable manufacturing and operating costs to those of conventional

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

s. The wings will be made out of epoxy

carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...

, their 12 m (39 ft) wingspan is broadly similar to that of the preceding AW609 tiltrotor, while the chord is roughly doubled to . Each wing has two control surfaces:

flaperon A flaperon (a portmanteau of '' flap'' and ''aileron'') on an aircraft's wing is a type of control surface that combines the functions of both flaps and ailerons. Some smaller kitplanes have flaperons for reasons of simplicity of manufactur ...

s for lift and control, and another lowered during

vertical take off Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff. For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a tr ...

s, to reduce the exposed wing area to the propeller flow. While compact, the wing's structure features a highly integrated

wingbox The wingbox of a fixed-wing aircraft is the primary load-carrying structure of the wing, which forms the structural centre of the wings and is also the attachment point for other wing components such as leading edge flaps, swing wings, trailing e ...

of composite construction, permitting the large movable surfaces over half the wing chord. The NGCTR's proprotors and wingtips are movable while the engines are static, unlike earlier tiltrotors, for better aerodynamic efficiency. Power is delivered from the engines to the swiveling proprotor assemblies through a split gearbox. Each composite rotorblades include a heat-generating layer for ice protection.

Specifications (NGCTR)

References

External links

* * {{AgustaWestland aircraft 2020s international civil utility aircraft Tiltrotor aircraft AgustaWestland aircraft Leonardo aircraft V-tail aircraft High-wing aircraft Twin-engined aircraft Turboshaft-powered aircraft

Development

Design

Specifications (NGCTR)

See also

References

External links