Completed Materials & Manufacturing Engineering

Next Generation Vertical Lift Programme; Project 1 Blades

Funder InnovateUK (part of UKRI)
Recipient organisation Agustawestland Limited
Funding £3.3M
Period Sept 2010 — Mar 2014

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Leonardo’s AW169 helicopter will get a new generation of rotor blades, hubs, and transmissions designed and manufactured in the UK. The three-year programme, led by Leonardo’s Yeovil site, aims to pull advanced rotorcraft technologies from the lab into commercial production. Without this investment, the UK risks losing its competitive edge in the global helicopter market. The AW169, due to enter service in 2014, is already designed to be greener, quieter, and cheaper to operate than its predecessors. This project focuses on three specific areas: rotor blades, hubs and transmissions, and flight trials. By collaborating with strategic industry partners and academia, the programme creates a limited window to lead key R&D activities in the UK. If successful, it will establish a commercial rotorcraft manufacturing and support capability in Yeovil, bringing high-value manufacturing jobs and developing tools and processes that can be applied across all products at the site. The result would be a more competitive UK rotorcraft industry, with quieter, lower-emission helicopters that cost less to operate.

View original technical description
The Next Generation Vertical Lift is a collaborative 3-year programme with two main elements; developing technologies aimed at next generation twin light medium helicopter (AW169), and migration towards a UK commercial rotorcraft manufacturing and support capability in Yeovil, focussed in 3 areas: • Rotor Blades • Hubs/Transmissions • Flight Trials These projects provide the opportunity to bring high value Commercial manufacturing to the UK and the development of Commercial tools, techniques and processes that can be applied across all products on the AW Yeovil site. This investment is needed to ensure the UK stays competitive in the worldwide rotorcraft market. Due entry into service in 2014, AW169 will be greener by design, incorporate the latest generation avionics and high visibility cockpit, a high cabin space with excellent accessibility, advanced aerodynamics for high performance, low emissions, low noise and low direct operating costs. Collaborative research with strategic industry partners and academia gives a limited window of opportunity to be involved with and to lead specific elements of AW169 R&D activity in the UK and to pull lower TRL research through to market.

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Original classification

BEIS-Funded Programmes

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.