Leonardo Helicopters’ Next Generation Civil Tiltrotor (NGCTR-TD) has made its first flight, authorised by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, ENAC.
The technology demonstrator for this new-generation tiltrotor began on December 19 at the Cascina Costa facility in Samarate, following the issuance of the flight permit.
The aircraft combines the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) system of helicopters with the speed and range of fixed-wing aircraft. ENAC said it could open up new perspectives both for air-to-air integration between small and large airports, and for search and rescue missions.
The flight permit was issued following compliance tests conducted by the ENAC Product Certification Directorate and the Milan Malpensa Territorial Directorate, in collaboration with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and was also based on analyses and demonstrations produced by Leonardo.
The NGCTR-TD prototype was developed in collaboration with national and European players as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, part of the broader EU-funded Horizon 2020 programme aimed at reducing polluting emissions in the aviation sector.
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