Italy’s Army aviation chief talks helicopter advancements

ROME — Because the commander of Italy’s Army aviation fleet, Maj. Gen. Andrea Di Stasio oversees a helicopter portfolio on the cusp of old and latest.

Decision-makers within the country have been closely watching moves in Washington about remaking the U.S. Army’s fleet, itching to leap on the bandwagon with what some thought could be the following major accomplishment in propulsion technology.

Di Stasio spoke with Defense News about balancing the reliability of traditional rotorcraft technology with next-generation features that promise greater speed and maneuverability.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

What does the long run hold for helicopters?

The normal helicopter has almost reached full maturity, which suggests there may be only a few improvements in power and speed. So that you either move toward coaxial rotors with pusher propellers or tiltrotors, otherwise you follow the “classic” helicopter, knowing that it has reached the boundaries of its performance.

I subsequently see a future by which traditional helicopters fly alongside the brand new helicopters developed for the U.S. Future Vertical Lift program, NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability program and the European Union’s Next Generation Fast Helicopter program.

This can mark an actual doctrinal revolution, not only a straightforward technology upgrade. The most important aim is increasing survivability on the battlefield, with speed a crucial factor. That may make helicopters higher capable of operate against enemies with well organized anti-air defenses in large-scale combat operations.

What technologies and capabilities will likely be key for the military of the long run?

The essential technologies will likely be structural materials and know-how, for instance, in rotors, engines and transmissions that allow increases in speed, autonomy, and the likelihood to hold a big array of sensors and armaments. Helicopters must even be networked in a secure way, and energetic protection systems are needed to make sure the integrity of the helicopter and, consequently, the crew.

Open architecture can keep the helicopter price down, make the logistics sustainable and make sure the helicopter is reliable over time because it could possibly be upgraded in a short time. It also must have the ability to interface with other systems or platforms which can be built based on the identical standards. I’m referring to what the U.S. calls MOSA — or a modular, open-systems approach — which is a fundamental conceptual pillar to make sure the technological progress of the brand new helicopters.

We want standoff, fire-and-forget armaments so the helicopter can acquire over-the-horizon ground targets without exposing itself. An armed helicopter could have difficulty overcoming well-run air defenses up close. We have already got such weapons on Italy’s A129 helicopters, and the U.S. is moving on this direction, having chosen the Spike NLOS to compensate for the limited-range Hellfire missile.

What are the benefits and downsides of coaxial helicopter and tiltrotor technology?

Given they’re two completely different technologies, it is tough to match them unless you have a look at the operational objectives they’re expected to be utilized in. The U.S. has chosen the tiltrotor on account of its latest give attention to the Pacific, versus Europe and the Middle East. The tiltrotor currently has greater cruising speed and autonomy but greater size and fewer maneuverability.

If the priority is to move passengers or material across greater distances in shorter times, its benefits are undoubted.

The selection made by the U.S. Army to buy the Bell V-280 Valor is linked to the Indo-Pacific theater, where the U.S. envisages an increasing presence.

However the coaxial helicopter with propellers can perform sudden and fast maneuvers, albeit having less speed and autonomy than a tiltrotor in the identical category.

In the long run, each these platforms will enter service with NATO armed forces since each show, a minimum of on paper or in preliminary trials, good performance. Nonetheless, I might also say that no country can do without, a minimum of for now, a fleet of reliable, traditional helicopters. The brand new technologies will increase performance but haven’t yet reached the maturity to be game changers for a minimum of one other 10 years.