Rotorcraft
With an eye to the environment, Eurocopter mulls system changes
Eurocopter is stepping up its efforts to make helicopters more environmentally friendly by eliminating hydraulic and engine bleed-air systems, introducing

Eurocopter is stepping up its efforts to make helicopters more environmentally friendly by eliminating hydraulic and engine bleed-air systems, introducing diesel engines for light rotorcraft and reducing helicopter noise.

Research and development on the elimination of hydraulic systems and the introduction of diesel engines began as part of the EU’s CleanSky joint technology initiative (JTI), a ?1.6 billion ($2.5 billion) effort launched in February. One CleanSky project is dedicated to replacing hydraulic and bleed-air systems with electric ones with the goal of eliminating polluting hydraulic fluid from helicopter maintenance and end-of-life operations. Second, an engine that doesn’t have to supply bleed air can be designed to achieve lower specific fuel consumption (SFC), engine manufacturers say.

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