Well, there is another theory which says, they may have stumbled across some ancient technology from atlantis 😀 .

Oh right, didn’t you have the Asgard Homeworld as your old location? Speaking of which, SG-Atlantis is debuting this summer.

Great site, Arthur!

You get to fly many of the secret planes in that old LucasArts computer game, Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, released back in the early 90s.

Talk about a heavy helo- 70 troops is a lot.

Please do not copy elsewhere- under the terms of usage, I am allowed one copy for personal/fair use, and I would rather not get in trouble for propagation of this article. thanks.

JANE’S DEFENCE WEEKLY – MAY 26, 2004

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ILA 2004: Eurocopter unveils Heavy Transport Helicopter concept
ROBERT HEWSON Editor, Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons
Berlin

The German Army’s CH-53G replacement requirement is driving Eurocopter’s new Heavy Transport Helicopter (HTH) concept that was shown for the first time at the International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin.

However, Eurocopter admits that the European market for helicopters in this class will not support an independent development programme and the company is looking to the US Marine Corps’ CH-53X effort.

The three-engined HTH draws on NH90 experience, using Eurocopter’s fly-by-wire control system and composite structure technology. With a payload of between 10 and 13 tons, carrying 70 troops, the HTH would have a maximum range of 1,200km without refuelling. Eurocopter has described the HTH as possibly the “Airbus A380 of helicopters” and hopes that it might become the basis for a new European-US co-operative development programme. German officials have already said that they do not favour a CH-53 upgrade and would prefer to acquire a new aircraft.

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Eurocopter Unveils Heavy-Lift Helo Concept
Aviation Week & Space Technology
05/24/2004, page 69

Jens Flottau and Michael A. Taverna
Berlin

Eurocopter unveils heavy-lift helo concept, urges backing for transatlantic effort

Partners Wanted

Engineers at Eurocopter have begun working on a concept for a heavy-lift helicopter that European industry and defense officials hope could become the basis for a joint transatlantic development initiative.

The concept, dubbed the “Heavy Transport Helicopter” (HTH), is being studied as a replacement for the aging Sikorsky CH-53, starting in 2015. A heavy-lift rotorcraft capability is considered a central element in new rapid reaction forces being fielded by NATO and the European Union. Germany, which has a large number of CH-53s, is leading the undertaking. France, which has no heavy-lift helicopters but is thinking of acquiring or leasing a small number, is also behind the effort.

The HTH would have a takeoff weight of up to 40 tons and a range of up to 1,200 km. (7,456 mi.) that could be extended to 5,000 km. if an inflight refueling capability were added. It would be sized to carry an infantry fighting vehicle or 70 troops, and would share commonality with new European military programs such as the Tiger and NH-90.

But mindful that the numbers of units in a future European requirement would be insufficient to justify a development program, backers are also looking to drum up interest in the U.S., which has a similar requirement.

Eurocopter could provide composite and system technologies, including interactive glass cockpit and fly-by-wire flight control, similar to those already developed for the Tiger and NH-90. American companies could contribute turobshaft, drive train and rotor technology. Eurocopter says it is in exploratory talks with Boeing and Sikorsky.

“We are striving for a real transatlantic system partnership,” said Eurocopter Deutschland Managing Director Lutz Bertling. Company officials hinted that a U.S.-European effort would also be in the spirit of NATO programs like the AGS ground surveillance system, which is being developed by a transatlantic team.

However, it’s not yet clear whether there would be a budget for a heavy-lift effort. The U.S. has so far indicated a preference for an upgrade solution, and Germany has not set money aside for the project in its constrained defense budget. Current plans are to keep German CH-53s in operation up to 2030.

EUROCOPTER SEES heavy-lift as a chance to gain access to the U.S. market, as AgustaWestland has done with the U.S. Presidential fleet competition. Increasingly, military helo sales are driving Eurocopter growth. The company expects total revenues to rise to 3.5 billion euros ($4.2 billion) from 2.6 billion in 2007, almost entirely from military sales.

The company presented the first production standard NH-90 tactical transport helicopter here. Germany’s Defense Minister Peter Struck confirmed that the government has no plans to back out of a 4.5-billion-euro order for 80 NH-90s, in spite of budget constraints. The company has 325 orders for the helicopter.

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For more information go to:
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When it can cook me breakfast, I’ll buy one.

I haven’t found so much use of “adjectives” describing an aircraft ever before!

Well, it is an export fighter, hence the interviewee is just hyping the product for potential customers.