Le Bourget. 20 June 2017. Protom is a 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 Cleans 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 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.