Two pieces of news from Paris-based Eurocopter in the past week, as reported by Wired Magazine:
1) The helicopter company is working on perfecting diesel-driven engine to power a new generation of choppers which could see fuel consumption cut by 40%.
2) In a radical new design of rotor blades, futuristically named "Blue Edge", Eurocopter has managed to design a much quieter helicopter - I would explain how it works, but Wired does a much better job of it. When used in conjunction with another new technology, "Blue Pulse" which actually places movable flaps on the trailing edge of helicopter rotors much like the back of normal aircraft wings, the rotary-winged aircraft market is set to become quieter (and sound a lot like Knight Rider in its marketing materials). The video below demonstrates the noise difference between normal rotor blades and the Blue Edge type:
