Leonardo reveals tiltrotor ambition with new design concept
By Oliver Johnson
Leonardo Helicopters has revealed a new tiltrotor design concept that represents what it believes could be the future of the technology’s evolution.
Building on the company’s tiltrotor expertise developed through the creation of its AW609 — which will become the first civil tiltrotor when certified — and in the subsequent next generation civil tiltrotor (NGCTR) demonstrator, the ATA-NXM (Advanced Tiltrotor Aircraft – Next Generation Military) concept sees the aircraft’s engines moved from below the rotors to the inner edge of each wing.
The ATA NXM features the V-shaped tail design developed for the NGCTR, sponsons underneath the wings, and canards (small wings) either side of the aircraft underneath the cockpit. The latter can help for CG, providing the ability to move fuel up or down the aircraft.
“This is the answer to [the question of] what is the max potential of the tiltrotor?” explained Matteo Ragazzi, SVP of engineering and innovation at Leonardo, revealing the concept to journalists alongside the AW609 and the NGCTR demonstrator at the manufacturer’s facility in Cascina Costa, Italy.
“We wanted to basically tell ourselves what we were investing in, essentially,” said Ragazzi. “Is it this [609], is it just that [NGCTR], or is it something else? What is the potential?”
While the rotors appear to have been moved inboard from the tip of the wing, Ragazzi said to think of it as the wings being in the same place relative to the NGCTR or AW609 — but with an additional tip beyond it.
The design, he said, is scalable. The manufacturer is working on the assumption that it would be in the 11- to 13-ton range, but has performed scaling tests from eight to 18 tons. “We were seeing that the thing was still floating and possible,” said Ragazzi. “But the real point is that you stretch the legs and you can use the existing engines.”
In terms of the timescale to develop such an aircraft, he said the technologies and solutions required for it already exist.
