Eurocopter, MARIGNANE, France: Eurocopter España bade farewell to 2007 with the sale of eleven new helicopters earmarked for various bodies within the Spanish Interior and Defence Ministries.
As a result of these contracts, the Directorate General for Traffic (DGT) will be equipped with four AS355NP twin-engine multi-mission helicopters and two EC135 twin-engine multipurpose helicopters capable of instrument flights, which have become a world reference for police missions, with more than 600 units sold worldwide since they were first launched on the market in mid 1996. This agreement is worth approximately 20 million euros.
The sale of two Cougar (AS532AL) helicopters was concluded with the Ministry of Defence for the FAMET (Army Airmobile Force), while three Cougar were bought for the Military Emergency Unit (UME), contracts worth 40 and 76 million euros, respectively. The UME helicopters are specially equipped for emergency missions like fire fighting and search and rescue. The sale to the UME includes mission and logistic support outfitting systems for commissioning the helicopters.
The Cougar is a twin-engine multipurpose helicopter with a capacity for transporting up to 25 soldiers in full gear, in addition to two crew members, or 10 soldiers and 6 wounded. It has a cargo capacity of up to 4.5 tons. Its operating capabilities make it the ideal helicopter for operations in adverse conditions and in a wide range of missions: troop and cargo transport, search and rescue, evacuation, etc.
As the third pillar of the Eurocopter Group, Spain is deeply involved in many of the company’s activities like engineering, manufacture, customization/modernisation, delivery and logistics, with full responsibility for marketing, programme management and support.
The tasks assigned to the new Eurocopter factory in Albacete, which started operations in March 2007, include the assembly of the EC135 twin turbine helicopters, which Spain will be using to modernise the fleets of its various police forces. The Albacete factory is also responsible for the assembly of the Tiger attack helicopter and the NH90 troop transport helicopter ordered by the Spanish armed forces.
The Castilla la Mancha factory is also manufacturing the rear section of the EC135, the rear section of the Tiger and will start producing the front section of the NH90 fuselage. Spain will be the sole supplier of these helicopter parts worldwide.
Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approx. 14,000 people. In 2006, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer with a turnover of 3.8 billion euros, orders for 615 new helicopters, and a 52% percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s products account for 30% percent of the total world helicopter fleet.
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