Protom (http://www.protom.com/en/) is proud to be partner of the Airbus Helicopter’s Racer High Speed demonstrator, being developed as part of the European research programme Clean Sky 2. A mock-up of this innovative compound helicopter will be unveiled during the Paris Air Show (https://www.siae.fr/) that takes place at Le Bourget from June 19-25 and will be exhibited at the Clean Sky booth from the 20th June an until the end of the show.
Protom is the coordinator of the COSTAR project (Compact innOvative SmarT Actuators for next generation Rotorcraft), in partnership with Triumph Actuation Systems Ltd, for the development and qualification of the electromechanical actuators of the demonstrator’s flight controls.
Protom is a highly specialised global consulting and system integration company, with a specific focus on aerospace Structures and Systems Design. It was founded by Fabio De Felice in 1995. Its core business, initially focused on training and management consultancy, allows the company today to operate on several markets, through four business units: IT, Advanced Engineering, PA Consulting and Training. The integration of the different divisions makes it possible to design highly innovative solutions, without losing the tailor-made approach for the optimal realisation of each project.
The Advanced Engineering Division, strengthened in 2013 following the acquisition of a branch of the engineering division of Piaggio Aerospace, operates in the Aerospace, Railway and Automotive sectors with an “Integrated & Make it Work” approach. This focuses on the team-working capacities of technicians and engineers with different know-how and experiences. A strength of the business unit recognised at the international level is its capacity to cover the entire planning cycle of an airplane.
“We are very proud to be working on this project with Airbus Helicopters,” said Protom founder Fabio De Felice. “It is fundamental for our company to be able to consolidate our presence in Clean Sky 2, the research programme which fits perfectly with the international expansion strategy of Protom’s scientific and technological partnerships. The team working ability and the know-how developed by our engineers through different experiences within organisations of multiple original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) makes it possible for us to carry out this integrated approach,” he added.
The COSTAR project
The COSTAR project aims to design, develop, qualify and test intelligent electromechanical actuators (EMAs), which involve a combination of brushless electrical motors with digitally controlled electronics, capable of allowing accurate control of several control surfaces of the Compound Rotorcraft.
This project aim is translated in the design objectives of the EMAs to be installed in Fast Rotorcraft for the activation of primary flight control surfaces, the horizontal and vertical stabilisers and the wing flaps.
The intelligent concept EMA is completed by the aim to design digital electronic control to ensure accurate activation and simplify the interfaces with the centralised flight control computer to allow for the implementation of automatic flight control. Furthermore, the electronics also guarantee the activation of continuous monitoring for feedback, the revealing of faults and if necessary, the isolation of faults.
COSTAR (Compact innOvative SmarT Actuators for next generation Rotorcraft) is a demanding project that calls for intelligent solutions to overcome some of the unique requirements of the activation systems of the high speed demonstrator. Triumph Actuation Systems UK and Protom Group SpA possess an exclusive combination of abilities and technology that allows them to develop a complete set of work packages defined to provide a competitive programme of technological development and in the final analysis provide qualified actuators for the Racer flight of the Airbus Helicopter’s demonstrator.
The Air Show
The show organised by SIAE, a subsidiary of GIFAS, the French aerospace industry association, has reached its 52nd edition which will take place at the Le Bourget exhibition park on June 19-25, 2017, and once again will reunite all key figures of the sector at the global level around the latest technological innovations. The first four days of the show are reserved for visitors involved in the sector, the last three to the general public.
This centenary event is the biggest and most established aerospace fair in the world. Since its launch in 1909, the show has been at the centre of developments in the global aerospace market, for which it has become an important meeting place over the course of the years. Visitors have the opportunity to touch and visit an aircraft and maybe observe how it operates in flight.
About 150 aircraft are presented to visitors at every exhibition. These displays, which are always spectacular and often surprising, are one of the most important moments of the event, and offer exhibitors the opportunity to show their technological abilities while allowing visitors to discover the latest innovations. The show is an important moment for every company to meet the main players of the aerospace sector, gather new commercial opportunities, present their own abilities and innovations to the world and build technological and industrial partnerships.
