US and Italian aerospace giants to coordinate on tiltrotor aircraft development project

Europe, News, US March 3, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S.-based aircraft manufacturer Bell Textron signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Italian aerospace giant, Leonardo, for the development of a next-generation tiltrotor.

According to a statement released by the two companies, the MoU was signed to “evaluate cooperation opportunities in the tiltrotor technology domain.” The collaboration will kick off soon with a NATO Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability concept study. Leonardo will spearhead the development of a tiltrotor architecture proposal, with support from Bell, the statement added.

The agreement stems from a lengthy collaboration between the companies on the BA609 tiltrotor program. This partnership concluded in 2011 when Bell withdrew, prompting Leonardo, then known as Finmeccanica, to continue driving the initiative forward.

Bell already has expertise in tiltrotor aircraft development. In 2022, the company secured a contract for the U.S. Air Force Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program with its V-280 tiltrotor aircraft design.

Meanwhile, Leonardo has made progress in maturing his design for the BA609, now named the AW609, a twin-engine tiltrotor VTOL aircraft with a configuration similar to that of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey.

Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey — *^{Bell Helicopter V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. (Image Credit: Bell Helicopter)}*

Although progress in its development has been gradual, Leonardo is Europe’s leading aerospace manufacturer working on a tiltrotor aircraft. The collaboration between Bell and Leonardo is expected to yield substantial results as officials have attributed the slow pace of development for the AW609 to a shortage of government development funding.

“Now we are the only European company with a tiltrotor close to certification, primarily for civil application but which can be converted to military applications,” said Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani.

“This cooperative effort between Bell and Leonardo reflects our shared vision that next-generation rotorcraft will be influenced by the speed, range, and maneuverability only tiltrotor technology can deliver,” said Lisa Atherton, president and CEO of Bell.

The landmark cooperation deal between the two companies on the joint development of the tiltrotor aircraft comes around the same time when the U.S. Department of Defense announced it would lift its ban on flights from the grounded V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.

The Osprey tiltrotor aircraft had been grounded for almost three months following a November 29 Air Force Special Operations Command crash in Japan that killed eight service members.

U.S. MV-22 Osprey aircraft — ^{An MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, attached with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 165 (Reinforced), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, takes off from the flight deck of Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) on March 21, 2022. (Image Credit: U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brett McMinoway)}

The Japan incident and an earlier August Osprey crash in Australia that killed three Marines are both still under investigation. The Air Force has said that it has identified what failed in the Japan crash, even though it does not know yet why it failed.

The decision to lift the ban was taken during a high-level meeting where Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin endorsed the military services’ plans for aircraft to be “safe and measured” to operations.