Italsystem Collaborates with Leonardo on the Development of the Next Generation Civil Tiltrotor (NGCTR)
NGCTR project
“NGCTR is Leonardo’s research and innovation project aimed at defining and developing an advanced concept for a new generation Tiltrotor. The project involves the development of new technologies and a new architecture for the aircraft, its main systems, and enabling technologies to enhance performance and operational capabilities compared to current Tiltrotor configurations.
With a cruising speed of about 280 knots (over 500 km/h), which is double the typical speed of a helicopter and close to that of a turboprop aircraft, and with a range of approximately 1000 nautical miles (1850 km), NGCTR allows a substantial increase in productivity and operational capabilities for various civil and public utility missions.
The aircraft will have dimensions comparable to those of a helicopter and will be able to operate in all weather conditions, offering comfort similar to that of a commercial airplane. This will expand mobility opportunities for people and goods, reaching geographical areas currently difficult to access by helicopters and airplanes, while minimizing environmental impact through reduced emissions (CO2, noise), and without the need for large and costly ground infrastructures.
The NGCTR project includes the development of various technological demonstrators for the main systems, as well as a full-scale technological demonstrator that will conduct experimental and validation flights of the new architectures and technologies. These activities are carried out within the Clean Sky 2 initiative under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme of the European Commission.
The project is part of Leonardo’s product and technology development roadmap, aimed at strengthening its strategic positioning and expanding the company’s product range in the key sector of rotary-wing aircraft and associated technologies, where Leonardo is currently one of the leading companies in the world.”
[Source: https://www.leonardo.com/it/business/next-generation-civil-tiltrotor-ngctr]
Contributions of Italsystem to the NGCTR Project
Italsystem plays a crucial role in the NGCTR project, handling the development and management of the software for a Flight Control Computer (FCC) based on real-time operating systems. The FCC performs several critical functions for flight control and aircraft safety, including:
- Reading inputs from the pilot and sensors installed on the aircraft;
- Controlling flight commands, managing the execution of commands given by the pilot through a Fly-By-Wire system;
- Managing emergencies by implementing corrective measures in emergency situations;
Italsystem’s role on the NGCTR project starts with the analysis and integration of system requirements, continues with software development and hardware integration, and culminates in a rigorous Verification and Validation (V&V) process for all software components, based on the requirements.
All activities are carried out in compliance with DO178/C (DAL A) and DO331 standards, ensuring the highest levels of safety and reliability.
Thanks to in-depth knowledge of the aerospace engineering sector and regulatory constraints, Italsystem supports the NGCTR project in the following activities:
Software Development:
- System requirements analysis and SW requirements development;
- Software design and development using an MBD approach;
- Automated code generation;
- HW/SW integration;
- Static code analysis.
Verification and Validation:
- Test procedures definition with independence;
- Verification of MIL, SIL, and HiL tests;
- Development and maintenance of test environments.