The rotorcraft has evolved considerably since theintroduction of the first helicopters into civil andmilitary service in the early post-war years. Thelatest generation of rotorcraft now enteringproduction make use of sophisticated technologiesand set new standards for performance, productivityand safety. The paper discusses the current state ofrotorcraft technology and outlines potentialimprovements for the future.

As a prelude to the discussion of technologyimprovements, future market conditions and driversare examined. Cost is highlighted as a majorpreoccupation for civil and military operators andcost-effectiveness and operational flexibility arenoted as the key market requirements for thefuture.

A range of platform and system issues are reviewed andpotential improvements discussed. Areas coveredinclude

• • rotorsystems

• • powerplant

• • transmission

• • fuselagestructures

• • vibrationreduction

• • flightcontrols

• • humanmachineinterface

• • missionsystems.

The potential for new rotorcraft configurations isconsidered with particular attention given to theevolutionary step of thrust and lift compounding,which offers a wider flight envelope for rotorcraftwithout the high cost of radical configurationchange.

Finally, the need for an integrated approach to therotorcraft design and development process isemphasised. The highly capable tools and techniquesthat are now becoming available are considered vitalto future process improvements. It is foreseen thatincreased resources will be needed during the earlystages of product development in order to producefirst time designs that meet market requirements.The importance of technology demonstration as ameans of providing technology maturity is discussed.It is concluded that demonstration programmes willneed to be closely linked to market requirements inthe future with costs shared between all sections ofthe rotorcraft community.