Spain has joined a new project of the European Union’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) for the development of the next generation of medium military helicopters, known as NGMH (Next Generation Medium Helicopter).
The immediate objective is to create a platform that will meet operational needs in both the upgrade of the existing fleet and the next generation of European helicopters (European Next Generation Rotorcraft, ENGR), harmonizing the EU countries’ needs and timelines in future capabilities. Make” type of aircraft.
The NGMH adds the information provided by the EDA will “guarantee the availability and suitability of the EU helicopter fleet until 2040 and the preparation of the next generation of European helicopters, including the ability to withstand high-intensity conflicts”. . Other EU and NATO programs The EDA reference explicitly mentions the ENGR initiative, another project co-led by Airbus Helicopters and Leonardo and financed by the European Defense Fund to develop technologies and operational concepts for future European military helicopters. wants to develop.
It is one of 11 initiatives approved by the Council of the European Union in the Fifth Call for Pesco. The NGMH project will start this year under the leadership of France and with the participation of Italy and Finland as well as Spain.
The program aims to “provide coherent solutions for future EU helicopter capabilities between the development of new platforms and the updating of existing ones (for example, NH 90)”, summarizes the Council’s document summarizing all PESCO approved to date. Initiatives included.
The flag of the four countries already appears on the project’s specific website on the Pesco page, and both the Council of the European Union and the European Defense Agency have reported its launch along with the rest of the selected initiatives.
The European Defense Agency gives some more details. The immediate objective is to create a platform that will meet operational needs in both the upgrade of the existing fleet and the next generation of European helicopters (European Next Generation Rotorcraft, ENGR), harmonizing the EU countries’ needs and timelines in future capabilities. Make” type of aircraft.
The NGMH adds the information provided by the EDA will “guarantee the availability and suitability of the EU helicopter fleet until 2040 and the preparation of the next generation of European helicopters, including the ability to withstand high-intensity conflicts”. .
Other EU and NATO programs
The EDA reference explicitly mentions the ENGR initiative, another project co-led by Airbus Helicopters and Leonardo and financed by the European Defense Fund that seeks to develop technologies and operational concepts for future European military helicopters. Germany, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden participate in this case.
In parallel, NATO is working on an initiative similar to these two programs, Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC), which includes Germany, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. As reported by Infodefensa.com, Spain chose to enter, but was ultimately left out.
