Helicopters Leonardo and Politecnico Di Milano announce collaboration

With the agreement, both parties hope to explore the use of new materials for innovative mechanical components in helicopters. In 2016, Leonardo and Politecnico di Milano already agreed on a collaboration to reduce vibration and noise levels in the cabin.

The companies aim to develop new innovative technologies that can be used in new materials. In the long run, lighter materials will bring advantages in the installation and the production costs. The development of new materials will also help to transfer the overall load of helicopters from the rotor to the main gear box. This will result in a simplification of the existing mechanical system.

Ferruccio Resta, Rector of the University said: "The Politecnico di Milano is collaborating in a structured way with major industrial companies to make its research environment more and more relevant to the needs of businesses [...] The Innovation Hub created with Leonardo is producing concrete results and significant ones that confirm our commitment and identify, once again, as an engine of innovation in the nation."

In general, the collaboration is concentrated on three main parts of helicopters: The rotor, the main gear box attachments and the airframe itself. New technologies and innovations will help to reduce the vibrations of the aircraft and simultaneously increase passenger comfort.

Alessandro Profumo, Leonardo's CEO added: "In Leonardo, we invest in continuous and increasingly collaborative innovation [...] to develop increasingly effective and sustainable solutions for our customers and for Italy. The multi-year collaboration with the Politecnico of Milan is a concrete example of this. By putting our wealth of skills in line with those of the academic world – adds Profumo – we can accelerate the processes of innovation and technological development, create synergy and mutual benefit to support the competitiveness of Italy.”

According to Leonardo, the ultimate goal of the programme is to reach a significant internal noise and vibration reduction through the coordinated use of active and passive systems.