Defender

( design, mANufacturing and qualification of new GEneration of LAnding gear for a compound fast rotorcraft )

The project is part of the Clean Sky 2 Fast-Rotorcraft European Research Program, and is aimed at developing, producing, testing and qualifying an innovative fuel storage system to be integrated into the Next Gen CTR (Leonardo), which is capable of withstanding – without losses – specific crash conditions. The main innovations include the implementation of an advanced energy absorption system which uses closed cell foams, with high rigidity and a specific low weight.

The goal is to reduce:
  • up to 15% of the weight of the trolley
  • construction costs by 20%
  • delivery time by 20%
  • material waste by at least 15%
  • operating costs by at least 20%
Year
Sep.2016 – Dec.2020
Technologies
Composite materials
Additive Manufacturing
Project Partners