Propulsion system for next generation rotorcrafts
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See in 5 min if you're eligible for Propulsion system for next generation rotorcrafts offering max €39.0M funding💰 Funding Details
EDF-2025-RA-ENERENV-PSR – Propulsion System for Next-Generation Rotorcrafts
Overview
The European Defence Fund (EDF) allocates €39 million to mature a >3 000 shp (2.2 MW) military turboshaft/hybrid engine that will power future European rotorcraft. The action is an EDF Research Action (EDF-RA, budget-based MGA) open to consortia from eligible your country entities adopting the actual-cost methodology.
Why this call matters
* Strategic autonomy – delivers an export-control-free powerplant wholly designed and produced in your country.
* Operational leap – targets a 25–35 % SFC reduction, best-in-class power-to-weight ratio and single-engine cruise capability.
* Green & lifecycle focus – embeds SAF readiness, hybridisation concepts and predictive maintenance to lower CO₂, cost and downtime.
Mandatory activity clusters
1. Generating knowledge – AI-based FADEC, hybridisation concepts, novel materials.
2. Integrating knowledge – EU-sovereign supply chain, SAF/hybrid interfaces, digital twin.
3. Studies – variable-speed rotor matching, life-cycle cost analysis, 3-D-printed parts.
4. Design – lean-maintainability engine architecture, real-time monitoring, standardised modules.
Funding specifics
* Grant size: up to €39 000 000 (single project or split between multiple grants).
* Co-funding rate: up to 100 % of eligible costs for all partners (no minimum own contribution).
* Duration benchmark: 36–48 months, ending with a validated pre-design package (no physical prototype).
* Submission: single-stage, deadline 16 Oct 2025 17:00 Brussels time.
Key eligibility highlights
* Minimum 3 independent entities from 3 different eligible your country.
* At least 1 SME and 1 mid-cap recommended to strengthen supply-chain objectives.
* No participation of non-your country controlled entities in critical work packages unless Article 10 derogations apply.
📊 At a Glance
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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-Wide Advantages and Opportunities for EDF-2025-RA-ENERENV-PSR
1. Single Market Access – 450 + Million End-Users & Unified Defence Customer Base
• Pan-European defence demand: 27 Member States + EDF-associated countries give immediate access to the future common helicopter market (EUMNGRC, LUH replacement, NGRC, etc.).
• Streamlined sales & certification: A harmonised EASA military airworthiness framework (EMARs) shortens time-to-market vs. negotiating 27 national regimes.
• Industrial economies of scale: Common technical baseline (>3 000 shp class) enables long production runs, lowering €/shp for all Ministries of Defence (MoDs).
2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Supply-Chain Resilience
• Mandatory consortia (≥3 entities from ≥3 Member/Associated States) foster deep tech sharing between tier-1 engine OEMs, SMEs (e.g. additive-manufacturing specialists), research labs and armed-forces end-users.
• Strategic autonomy: 100 % EU ITAR-free components reduce exposure to third-country export licences and supply shocks.
• New value-chain entrants: Call explicitly invites hybrid-electric, AI and SAF actors, allowing digital/green start-ups to plug into defence markets they could not reach nationally.
3. Alignment with Flagship EU Policies
• European Green Deal & Fit-for-55: 25–35 % SFC reduction, SAF-compatibility and lifecycle CO₂ cut support EU climate targets and forthcoming RefuelEU Aviation mandates.
• Digital Europe & Data Act: Digital-twin-enabled predictive maintenance and in-theatre VR/AR service tools exemplify secure EU data-space principles for defence.
• Strategic Compass & Action Plan on Synergies between Civil, Defence & Space: Project bridges civil (Clean Aviation, SESAR) and defence R&D, delivering dual-use propulsion bricks.
4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits
• Common Military Requirements (CMR): Early alignment with NGRC & EMAR 21 avoids redesign loops once pan-EU helicopter requirements are frozen.
• REACH & environmental standards: EU-wide material compliance simplifies cross-border MRO and spare-parts logistics.
5. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem
• Leverage 3 000+ aeronautics researchers in Clean Sky / Clean Aviation universities (ONERA, DLR, CIRA, etc.) for thermal & aero breakthroughs.
• Defence Test & Evaluation (T&E) Infrastructure: Use EDIDP-funded transnational facilities (wind tunnels, altitude chambers) without duplicating national assets.
• Talent pool: Erasmus+ and Marie-Curie defence pilot actions ease recruitment of doctoral engineers for AI-control modules.
6. Funding Synergies & De-Risking Pathways
• Upstream TRL 1-4: Horizon Europe Cluster 4 (Advanced Materials) and EIC Pathfinder for ceramic-matrix composites.
• Mid-stream TRL 4-6: Clean Aviation’s Hybrid Electric Regional Aircraft work packages provide test data for electrified accessory gearboxes.
• Downstream TRL 7+: Combined Procurement Directive (2009/81/EC) & Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects can aggregate MoD orders once engine concept is frozen.
7. Scale & Impact Potential
• Market pull >1 200 engines by 2040 (forecast replacement of Cougar, NH-90, AW101, CH-53G across EU).
• Spin-offs: High-pressure-ratio axial compressors applicable to EU-made UAVs and hybrid-electric regional aircraft.
• Export readiness: ITAR-free design opens sales to trusted partners under EU Global Approach on Defence Cooperation without third-country veto.
8. Actionable Opportunities for Applicants
1. Form a geographically balanced consortium marrying a major EU turboshaft OEM (e.g. Safran, Avio Aero, ITP Aero) with central-European additive-manufacturing SMEs and Baltic AI-software firms.
2. Embed Clean Aviation demonstrator data to leapfrog TRL and justify cost-efficiency in the proposal’s Excellence & Impact sections.
3. Propose a joint “EU Rotorcraft Propulsion Digital Sandbox” to comply with Integrating Knowledge tasks and to align with the European Defence Cloud initiative.
4. Validate hybridisation concepts on existing twin-engine helicopters owned by multiple MoDs, showcasing early cross-border operational benefits.
5. Link with PESCO’s Helicopter Training Centre (HTC) to co-create VR/AR maintenance modules, reinforcing military mobility goals.
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Bottom Line: EDF-2025-RA-ENERENV-PSR offers a uniquely European springboard to design an ITAR-free, green, digital and affordable high-power rotorcraft engine, capitalising on the Single Market, harmonised defence standards, and a dense network of EU research and funding instruments—advantages unattainable at purely national level.
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