Bringing rotorcraft up to speed

These days, discussions around the future of airborne warfare tend to focus on drones. This is unsurprising: versatile, fast and deadly, they’re transforming battles from Ukraine to Palestine. But what about helicopters? They may be rather larger than the average UAV, but the new generation of rotary craft are just as flexible, designed for everything from anti-submarine warfare to armed scouting missions. Tallha Abdulrazaq talks to Cyril Heckel, programme manager, Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) at Nato’s Support and Procurement Agency, to explore the role of rotary combat in the modern defence environment – and how programmes like NGRC will overcome the limitations of traditional helicopters.