Concerns that U.S. industry could muscle in on NATO plans for a medium-lift helicopter for the 2030s and beyond has sparked Airbus to call for a European solution. Airbus Helicopters says it has backing from the French, German and Spanish governments to bid for grants from the European Defense Fund for initial studies on a European Next-Generation Rotorcraft (ENGR). The studies would run parallel to— but could also end up supporting— NATO’s e orts on a Next-Generation Rotorcraft (NGRC), which aims to establish requirements for a rotorcraft that could replace hundreds of medium rotorcraft currently in service with NATO’s European members. That group includes types such as the Airbus Puma family, Sikorsky Black Hawk, Mil Mi-8/17 and Leonardo AW101s.
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