HOW TECHNOLOGY HAS SERVED AND WILL SERVE THE COST REDUCTION TARGET

OPERATING COSTS have dramaticaly reduced during the helicopter pioneering phase from the fifties to the eighties. Helicopter is now becoming maturity means, at the same time, more stringent requirements from the market in terms of cost efficiency and difficulties to get significant increasing improvements. But one thing is clear : cost efficiency is and will remain the key driver on the civil market and also a major driver on the military market. Cost efficiency means operating costs or life cycle costs which include effects of either production, development amortisation, maintenance, insurance, crew or fuel. EUROCOPTER has emphasised is and will continue to emphasise this operating cost parameter. General product high tech design emphasising, adaptation to mission requirements are well known qualities of EUROCOPTER products. The above analysis demonstrated how technology development has been focused on operating costs reduction in the nineties : Transmission : in military applications (TIGER attack helicopter MGB) reliability improvement leads an operating costs reduction by 20% and in civil applications (PUMA / SUPER PUMA family) significant production and maintenance costs reduction has been demonstrated thanks to a permanent technology insertion process. In this case, operating costs have been reduced by 25% compared to the PUMA Main rotor : new concept (BMR EC135) is able to contribute significant operating cost reductions (in the range of 10%) compared to the reference hingeless (BO 105) concept. Main rotor blade : as part of the rotor, the new generation composite blade significantly contributes to the operating costs reduction (in the range of 30% per blade on a SUPERPUMA DEMONSTRATOR compared to a SUPERPUMA MK2) Tail rotor blade : the composite RTM process offers a high level of function integration and significant improvement of the maintenance costs, allowing operating costs to be reduced by 50% Engine : a significant contribution is being made by the engine to the operating costs reduction thanks to simplified design, enhanced reliability and higher power to weight ratio (reduction in the range of 20% from the former ARRIUS1 to the ARRIUS 2 family) Airframe : composite technology must be preferably selected in this area for complex parts such as canopy structure, intermediate fuselage with double curved shape. In this case, production costs (are the main parameter) reduced (by 10% when the NH9O and SUPERPUMA canopy structures are compared). The all-composite structure will only be suitable when empty weight requirements are particularly stringent (e.g. : military application). These conclusions could be reviewed in the future according the effects of improved automatisation process such as fiber placement. Avionics : This is one of the most impressive result thanks to a significant reduction of electronic technology costs but also to the development of a real family concept within AVIONIQUE NOUVELLE. Production costs are reduced by 20 %, maintenance tentatively by 50 % leading to an operating costs reduction of 35 % (EC155 dual pilot IFR configuration compared to DAUPHIN N2/N3). Finally, the development methodology demonstrated significant improvements during the EC155 development and certification process (only 24 month between To and certification). This had a significant impact on two parameters helicopter manufacturers consider essential i.e. time-to-market and non recurring expenses. This overview of the role of technology to reduce operating costs shows more than significant results. This is the demonstration that technology is a major contributor to the general objective “stop and reverse the spiraling cost of ownership and operation of the helicopter” assuming that this objective is clearly defined from the beginning of any technology development.