On the helicopter front, Airbus and Italian manufacturer Leonardo announced they are collaborating on a NH90 Block 2 multirole rotorcraft upgrade architecture study to determine the long term evolution of the type.
“What we propose for the Loi de programmation militaire (France’s long-term defense spending program) ... is incremental evolution [and] to enter into service with the VSR by 2026 or 2027," Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even said.
It’s about improving existing platforms with autonomy, and applying AI, edge computing, quantum encryption, and sensor fusion.