The crucial components on which helicopter performance and handling qualities depend are the main and tail rotors, which are also strong contributors to the noise and vibration levels. Improvement of these elements leads to an enhancement of the overall rotorcraft quality. In this paper the aspect of smart structures applications chosen for consideration is that of control design concepts, leaving aside the areas of materials, sensor/actuators design, control algorithms, etc. Various design concepts of helicopter rotor control currently under consideration are reviewed, thereby indicating that rotorcraft technology is an area in which research into the application of smart structures may lead to significant improvements.