THE EUROFAR VEHICLE OVERVIEW

Since about three years, some European helicopter and fixed wing manufacturers are involved in the EUROFAR Program, with the aim of introducing a Tilt Rotor vehicle in the civil air transport scenario. The scope of this Paper would be double: to give the relevant informations on the Program Status up today but, much more important, to try to make a focus on all the aspects, technical, economical and operational, to be considered to achieve the effective viability of the project. Starting from the "need" described in the introduction, dealing with the main topics of the evolution of the air transport, the lecture is then affording the introduction of the T/R system , the novelties of this project and its actual integrated plan up to first flight of the Demonstrator aircraft. Then, after a description of the preliminary requirements assumed, an extended overview on the actual baseline aircraft, the concurrent technologies applied and the experimental activities performed or to be closed is given; the check point on the actual phase of the program and the next Phase goals then follow, with the final conclusion reflecting the content previously described.