Julian Moxon/PARIS
Engine suppliers for the four-nation NH Industries NH90 military transport helicopter are in the final stages of an all-out competition to provide powerplants for aircraft which are being ordered by Germany and the Netherlands.
The two teams - Rolls-Royce/Turboméca/BMW R-R, with the RTM322, and General Electric/Fiat/Alfa Romeo/MTU, proposing the T700, are competing for potential orders for up to 243 NH90s for Germany and a further 20 for the Netherlands.
Italy has already made it clear that it will equip its 219 NH90s with the T700, while France, with a requirement for 160 aircraft, is expected to opt for the RTM322. Industry sources claim that the "-jury is still out" on the French decision, however, following procurement chief Jean-Yves Helmer's repeated insistence that major purchase decisions will be taken on the basis of price as well as industrial benefit.
In April, the RTM322 team increased its industrial offset package for Germany to include the supply of components for NH90 engines ordered by all customers, rather than those for German helicopters only.
Turboméca says this will raise the value of the work to be carried out by BMW R-R to about 23%. MTU, which has 15% of the T700/NH90 export and Italian programmes, will take 21.3% of German T700 work if the engine is selected. GE has also offered maintenance of UST700-powered helicopters based in Europe (except Italy).
Flight testing of the T700 installed on the first prototype NH90 is continuing, with the test results of both engines due to be submitted to NATO programme management agency Naehma by the end of the year.
Final engine selection is expected early in the second quarter, but must be made before the signing of the government-to-government memorandum of understanding, which will provide funding for the first batch of up to 15 aircraft. This had been set for March, but is now likely to be delayed to the Paris air show in June, because of Germany's change of government.
Sources close to the programme are "confident" that the engine contest will result in a reduction in the "very high" series production prices which are being quoted for the respective powerplants.
While programme officials say the unit price of the NH90 has been cut to around the same as that of the Eurocopter Cougar MkII military transport, the engines are being quoted at a price around 60% higher than the Turboméca Makila turboshaft which powers the Cougar. The NH90 engines offer a 25% power increase over the Makila, along with considerable growth potential, but one source says there is "-certainly room for a significant reduction in series production prices".
Source: Flight International
