NATO Members Developing Military Helicopter Based on Ukraine Conflict Lessons - Reports

13.06.2023 09:50

NATO Members Developing Military Helicopter Based on Ukraine Conflict Lessons - Reports
Photo: Sputnik / Valery Melnikov

A group of six NATO member countries seek to get a new multi-role helicopter by 2035 in a bid to refresh their military capabilities while manufacturers are already drawing lessons from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to develop concepts of the new rotary machine, a American website reported on Monday.

In 2022, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom committed $28 million to develop new concepts for the new rotorcraft with expectations that Canada will join the project this month, the report cited a NATO spokesperson in the report.

The new helicopter will be developed as part of the Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability program (NGRC). It will assist with the insertion and extraction of special operations forces, transporting small- and medium-sized cargo and troops on the battlefield, and medical evacuation and rescue operations.

According to the report, the participating countries have already agreed on the size and basic characteristics of the new helicopter, which is expected to have an unrefueled range of over 1,025 miles (1,650 kilometers), eight hours of endurance, and a load capacity between 22,000 and 37,500 pounds (10,000 and 17,000 kilograms).

Airbus was among several European helicopter manufacturers contacted by NATO officials during the initial stage of requirements gathering, the report added.

The United States is not yet participating in the NGRC, but maintains communication channels with the participants, according to the report.