Eurocopter

Eurocopter
Type	SAS
Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1992
Headquarters	Marseille-Provence International Airport; Marignane, France
Key people	Lutz Bertling, CEO
Products	Helicopters
Revenue	€5,4 billion (2011)
Employees	20,000
Parent	EADS
Subsidiaries	Subsidiaries
Website	www.eurocopter.com

The Eurocopter Group is a global helicopter manufacturing and support company. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries. Its head office is located on the property of Marseille-Provence International Airport in Marignane, France, near Marseille.^[1] Eurocopter's main facilities are at its headquarters in Marignane, France at Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH in Donauwörth, Germany and at Eurocopter España in Albacete, Spain.

History [edit]

The Eurocopter Group was formed in 1992 through the merger of the helicopter divisions of Aérospatiale and Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG (DASA). The company's heritage traces back to Blériot and Lioré et Olivier in France and to Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf in Germany.^[2]

Eurocopter and its predecessor companies have established a wide range of helicopter 'firsts', including the first production turboshaft-powered helicopter (the Alouette II of 1955); the introduction of the Fenestron shrouded tail rotor (on the Gazelle of 1968); the first helicopter certified for full flight in icing conditions (the AS332 Super Puma, in 1984); the first production helicopter with a Fly-by-Wire control system (the NH90, first flown in full FBW mode in 2003); the first helicopter to use a Fly-by-Light primary control system (an EC135 testbed, first flown in 2003); and the first ever landing of a helicopter on Mt. Everest (achieved by an AS350 B3 in 2005).^[3]^[4]^[5]

As a consequence of the merger of the Eurocopter Group's former parents in 2000, the firm is now a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS. The creation of EADS in 2000 also incorporated CASA of Spain, which itself had a history of helicopter-related activities dating back to Talleres Loring, including local assembly of the Bo105.

Today, Eurocopter has seven plants in its home nations (Marignane and La Courneuve in France, Donauwörth, Ottobrunn and Kassel in Germany, and Albacete and Madrid in Spain), plus 24 subsidiaries and participates around the world.

As of 2010, more than 10,500 Eurocopter helicopters were in service with over 2,800 customers in 140 countries.^[6]

Eurocopter sold 346 helicopters in 2010 and delivered 503 helicopters in 2011.^[7]

Genealogy of Eurocopter

Products [edit]

AS332 Super Puma - medium-sized twin-engined transport/utility helicopter
AS350 Ecureuil/AStar - light single-engine utility helicopter
AS355 Ecureuil 2/TwinStar - light twin-engine utility helicopter
AS365 Dauphin - medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter
AS532 Cougar - twin-engined, medium-weight, multipurpose helicopter
Eurocopter Canada - MBB Bo 105 - twin-engined, medium-weight, multipurpose helicopter ^[8]
AS550 Fennec & AS555 Fennec 2 - single- and twin-engined, light-weight, multipurpose helicopters
AS565 Panther - military medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter
EC120 Colibri (with Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation) - 5-seat, single-engine, single main rotor, light helicopter
EC130 - light single-engine 'wide-body' helicopter
EC135 - light twin-engine civil helicopter
EC145 - twin-engine intermediate utility helicopter
EC155 - long-range medium-lift passenger transport helicopter
EC175 - medium-sized twin-engined transport/utility helicopter
EC225 Super Puma - long-range passenger transport helicopter
EC635 - military light multi-purpose helicopter
EC665 Tiger - dedicated military attack helicopter
EC725 Cougar - long-range tactical transport helicopter
HH/MH-65C Dolphin - medium-sized search & rescue and drug interdiction helicopter
NH90 - medium-sized, twin-engine, multi-role military, fly-by-wire helicopter (via 62.5% share in NHI joint venture)
Surion - medium-sized twin-engined transport/utility helicopter developed in cooperation with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)
UH-72 Lakota - light utility helicopter in operation with the U.S. Army and Navy
X3 rotorcraft - helicopter with two forward propellers to increase speed, having high speed and full hover vertical takeoff capability.^[9]

Note: On Eurocopter helicopters designed in France, the main rotor turns clockwise when viewed from above, in common with rotorcraft deriving from Russia. Eurocopter products developed in Germany have a main rotor which turns counter-clockwise when viewed from above, in common with American rotorcraft.