Airbus Helicopters: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox company |
{{Infobox company |
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|company_name = Eurocopter S.A.S. |
|company_name = Eurocopter S.A.S. |
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|company_logo = [[Image:Eurocopter |
|company_logo = [[Image:Eurocopter-eadscompany.jpg|240px|Eurocopter logo]] |
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|company_type = [[Subsidiary]] |
|company_type = [[Subsidiary]] |
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|foundation = 1992 |
|foundation = 1992 |
Revision as of 18:53, 18 September 2010
Eurocopter logo | |
Company type | Subsidiary |
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Industry | Aerospace |
Founded | 1992 |
Founder | Aérospatiale Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm ![]() |
Headquarters | Marignane, France |
Key people | Lutz Bertling, CEO |
Products | Helicopters |
Revenue | €4,570 million |
Number of employees | 15,600 |
Parent | EADS |
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.[citation needed] 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. The company also has a network of 24 subsidiaries, including production facilities in Australia, Brazil and the USA.[1]
History
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).
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 follows:
- American Eurocopter Corporation (AEC): Grand Prairie, TX and Columbus, MS
- Australian Aerospace Limited (AA): Bankstown Airport, NSW and Brisbane International Airport, QLD
- COHC General Aviation Maintenance & Engineering Co., Ltd. (COHC GAMEC): Shenzhen, China
- Eurocopter Canada Limited (ECL): Fort Erie, ON
- Eurocopter Chile SA: Santiago, Chile
- Eurocopter China Co. Ltd.: Shanghai, China
- Eurocopter de Mexico S.A. (EMSA): Mexico City
- Eurocopter Indonesia: East Jakarta, Indonesia
- Eurocopter Japan Co. Limited: Tokyo, Japan
- Eurocopter Malaysia Sdn Bhd: Subang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Eurocopter Philippines Inc. (EPI): Pasay City, Philippines
- Eurocopter Romania: Ghimbav, Romania
- Eurocopter South East Asia Pte. Ltd. (ESEA): Singapore
- Eurocopter Southern Africa Limited (ESAL): Lanseria Airport, South Africa
- Eurocopter Training Services (ETS): Marignane, France
- Eurocopter UK Ltd.: Oxford Airport, Oxfordshire
- Eurocopter Vostok (Eurovertol): Moscow, Russia
- Helibras: Minas Gerais and São Paulo, Brazil
- HELISIM: Marignane, France
- HFSI: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- HFTS: Hallbergmoos, Germany
- Korean Helicopter Development Support (KHDS): Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
- Motorflug Baden-Baden GmbH: Rheinmünster, Germany
- Vertivision: Marseilles, France
As of 2010, more than 10,500 Eurocopter helicopters were in service with over 2,800 customers in 140 countries.[3]
Products
Helicopters currently in production
- 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
- AS550 Fennec & AS55 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
Helicopters no longer in production
- BK117 (with Kawasaki Heavy Industries) - twin-engined intermediate utility/transport helicopter
- Bo105 - light, twin-engine, multi-purpose utility helicopter
- SA313/SA318 Alouette II - single-engine, light utility helicopter
- SA315B Lama - single-engine, light utility helicopter for 'hot & high' missions
- SA316/SA319 Alouette III - single-engine, light utility helicopter
- SA321 Super Frelon - three-engined heavy transport helicopter
- SA330 Puma - twin-engined medium transport/utility helicopter
- SA341/SA342 Gazelle - light-weight, single-engine utility and attack helicopter
- SA360 Dauphin - single-engine intermediate class helicopter
- SO.1220 Djinn - two-seat tip-jet powered light helicopter
Non-production helicopters
- Bo46 - high-speed research rotorcraft, flown but not put into production
- Bo102 - semi-captive helicopter trainer
- Bo103 - light-weight, single-seat helicopter, flown but not put into production
- Bo106 - widebody Bo105, flown but not put into production
- Bo108 - predecessor of EC135
- Bo115 - attack helicopter study concept, not flown
- SA320 Frelon - predecessor to SA321 Super Frelon, also known as SE3200; flown but not put into production
- SA340 - predecessor to SA341/342 Gazelle, with conventional tail rotor; flown but not put into production
- SA349 - high-speed compound test rotorcraft based on SA342 Gazelle; flown but not put into production
- SE.3101 - single-seat recip powered helicopter, flown but not put into production
- SE.3110 - two-seat recip powered helicopter, flown but not put into production
- SE.3120 Alouette I - recip-powered predecessor to Alouette II, flown but not put into production
- SEAMOS/GEOMOS - vertical take-off and landing UAV, derived from QH-50; flown but not put into production
- SNCASE Gouverneur - streamlined derivative of Alouette II, flown but not put into production
- SO.1100 Ariel I/II - two-seat tip-jet powered light helicopter, flown but not put into production
- SO.1120 Ariel III - two-seat tip-jet powered light helicopter, flown but not put into production
- SO.1310 Farfadet - compound helicopter design, flown but not put into production
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.
Gallery
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NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH)
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EC135 T2+
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EC145
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EC120 Colibri
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EC725 Cougar
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AS565SA Panther
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AS532 Super Puma
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EC155 B1
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AS350 BA Ecureuil
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Tiger ARH
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EC225 Super Puma
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AS350 B3 acting as a rescue vehicle in the Mt. Hotham snow fields
References
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)