The Franco-Chinese helicopter takes flight
End of busy year for the inaugural flights. After the military Airbus A400M and the Boeing B 787 Dreamliner, the Franco-Chinese helicopter EC 175 made its first official flight on Thursday morning. He took off the head of Eurocopter, a subsidiary of EADS, in Marignane, near Marseille. Louis Welsh, president of EADS, is expected on site as well as representatives of Avicopter, the specialized branch of aviation holding public Avic.The first flight marks the start of the certification campaign of the civil helicopter 7 tons specializes in transport between continents and platforms offshore oil and gas, rescue missions or the "corporate".
"It represents the culmination of years of effort to successfully complete this first flight in time, four years after signing the contract," said Joseph Saporito, director of programs marketed Eurocopter, world leader in the market Civil. "We started with a blank sheet to design the helicopter on the basis of a 50-50 partnership with the Chinese industry," says he. Avicopter and Eurocopter has invested 300 million euros each in the project. They shared the manufacturing and procurement.Eurocopter has exclusive rights in Europe, the United States and Australia while qu'Avicopter is sovereign in China and several countries in Africa and Latin America. The machine has two assembly lines like in France and China. But each manufacturer can then "customize" the device according to the needs of its customers.
The EC 175, known as Z 15 in China, a mouth hole in the range of Eurocopter intercalated between family Dolphin 4 to 5 tons and that of Super Puma helicopters of 9 of 11 tonnes. The two allies hope to sell 800 in twenty years and carry an annual turnover of 600 million euros in stride. Eurocopter already has garnered 114 firm orders and promises a first delivery late 2012. With the EC175, Eurocopter is reaping the fruit of thirty years of cooperation with China.The subsidiary of EADS has been a forerunner in signing in 1990 a licensing agreement for the EC120 Colibri.
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China, where Airbus has commissioned an assembly plant for the A 320 last summer, is one example among others of the expertise of Eurocopter in terms of international alliances.
In South Korea, for example, the manufacturer is both the provider KAI his local counterpart, and its adviser support. "KAI has developed a gear 100% Korean. We provide the autopilot, the gearbox and main rotor. And we help them meet the needs of the army, "said Joseph Saporito. Eurocopter is a kind of godfather of Surion a military helicopter to 8 tons whose needs are estimated at 245 copies by the Korean army.The device was introduced in July 2009 and must make its first flight in March 2010.
In some countries, Eurocopter is investing from its local subsidiary after having won contracts. Chosen in 2006 to supply 350 LUH, a light helicopter, the U.S. military, he has put into service in the state of Mississippi a "carbon copy" of its assembly line based in Germany and made agreements with outsourcing Local. The site will deliver its 100th unit in February 2010.
This model will be deployed in Brazil bought 50 Super Puma and Australia for the Tiger combat helicopter and troop transport NH 90. "These are long term investments that allow markets to conquer, to globalize the network outsourcing and setting up bases for the manufacture and maintenance of equipment," concludes the director.