Company:Airbus Helicopters

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Short description: Helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus
Airbus Helicopters SAS
TypeOperating Division
IndustryAerospace
Founded1992; 32 years ago (1992)
HeadquartersMarseille Provence Airport
Marignane, France
Key people
Bruno Even (CEO)[1]
ProductsHelicopters
RevenueIncrease €6.5 billion (2021)[2]
Increase €535 million (2021)[2]
Number of employees
20,126 (2021)[2]
ParentAirbus
SubsidiariesSubsidiaries
Websitewww.airbus.com/en/products-services/helicopters

Airbus Helicopters SAS (formerly Eurocopter Group) is the helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries. Its head office is located at Marseille Provence Airport in Marignane, France , near Marseille.[3] The main facilities of Airbus Helicopters are at its headquarters in Marignane, France, and in Donauwörth, Germany, with additional production plants in Canada , Brazil (Helibras), Australia , Spain , Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States . The company, originally named Eurocopter, was rebranded Airbus Helicopters on 2 January 2014.[4]

History

Airbus Helicopters was formed in 1992 as Eurocopter Group, through the merger of the helicopter divisions of Aérospatiale and DASA. The company's heritage traces back to Blériot and Lioré et Olivier in France and to Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf in Germany.[5]

Airbus Helicopters and its predecessor companies have established a wide range of helicopter firsts, including the first production turboshaft-powered helicopter (the Aérospatiale 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 NHIndustries 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 Mount Everest (achieved by an AS350 B3 in 2005).[6][7][8]

As a consequence of the merger of Airbus Helicopters' former parents in 2000, the firm is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus. The creation of what was then called 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, Airbus Helicopters has four main plants in Europe (Marignane and La Courneuve in France, and Donauwörth and Kassel in Germany), plus 32 subsidiaries and participants around the world, including those in Fort Erie Canada , Brisbane, Australia, Albacete, Spain and Grand Prairie, USA.[9][10]

Since approximately 2006, Eurocopter has been involved in the planning for the proposed pan-European Future Transport Helicopter project.[11]

As of 2014, more than 12,000 Airbus Helicopters were in service with over 3,000 customers in around 150 countries.[12] Euroopter became Airbus Helicopter at the start of 2014.[13]

Eurocopter sold 422 helicopters in 2013 and delivered 497 helicopters that year.[14] In 2014, AH built a concrete cylinder for testing helicopters before first flight.[15]

In December 2022, it was announced Airbus Helicopters has acquired the Kassel-Calden-headquartered gearbox and component supplier, ZF Luftfahrttechnik from ZF Friedrichshafen for an undisclosed amount. The business will be rebranded as Airbus Helicopters Technik.[16]


Historical emblems

Historical emblems of the company:

  • 1992–2000

  • 2000–2010

  • 2010–2014

  • 2014–2017

  • Airbus common logo since June 2017

    2017–present[17]

Products

Some of the helicopters were renamed in 2015, resembling Airbus airplane naming.[18] When the division changed its name from Eurocopter Group to Airbus Helicopters in 2014 the trade names of the products were changed (applied by 1 January 2016) to reflect this. Suffixes, as well as the differentiation for single or twin engines, were no longer to be used. Military versions were to be symbolized by the letter M. The only exceptions to this new branding were the AS365, the AS565, the Tiger and the NH90, which will keep their current names.[19]

Civil Range,[20] Military Range[21]
Original name New name Deliveries MTOW [t] Powerplant Capacity
AS355 Écureuil 2 1975-2016 2.54 2 × 420 hp Allison 250 1 pilot + 5/6 passengers
EC120 Colibri B[lower-alpha 1] H120 1998-2017 1.715 1 × 500 hp Arrius 2 1 pilot + 4 passengers
AS350 Écureuil (Squirrel) H125 1975-present 2.25-2.8 1 × 847 hp Arriel 1 pilot + 5/6 passengers
AS550 Fennec / AS555 Fennec 2 H125M 1990-present 2.25 1 × 850 hp Arriel 2B 2 pilots + 4 troops
EC130 (from AS350) H130 2001-present 2.5-3.05 1 × 952 hp Arriel 2B 1 pilot + 6/7 passengers
EC135[lower-alpha 2] H135 1996-present 2.98 2 × 627 hp Arrius/PW206 1 pilot + 6/7 passengers
EC635 H135M 1998-present 2.9 2 × 817 hp PW206/Arrius 2B2 1 pilot + 8 troops
EC145 (from BK 117))[lower-alpha 2] H145 2002-present 3.7 2 × 1,072 hp Arriel 2 pilots + 10 passengers
EC645[lower-alpha 3] H145M 2014-present 3.7 2 × 782 hp Arriel 1/2 pilots + 10 troops
AS365 Dauphin[lower-alpha 4] 1978-2022 4.3 2 × 961 hp Arriel 2 pilots + 12 passengers
AS565 Panther 1986-present 4.3 2 × 1,129 hp Arriel 2 pilots + 10 troops
EC155 H155 1999-present 4.92 2 × 1,053 hp Arriel 2 pilots + 13 passengers
X4 H160 2019-present 6.05 2 × 1,110-1,300 hp Arrano 2 pilots + 12 passengers
EC175 H175 2014-present 7.8 2 × 2,067 hp PT6 2 pilots + 16/18 passengers
AS332 Super Puma H215 1980-present 8.6-9.35 2 × 1,877 hp Makila 2 pilots + 15/19 passengers
AS532 Cougar H215M 1978-present 9-9.35 2 × 1,877 hp Makila 2 pilots + 24 troops + 1 chief
EC225 Super Puma H225 2004-present 11-11.2 2 × 2,101 hp Makila 2 pilots + 19 passengers
EC725 Caracal[lower-alpha 5] H225M 2005-present 11-11.2 2 × 2,382 hp Makila 2 pilots + 28 troops + 1 chief
NHIndustries NH90[lower-alpha 6] NH90 2006-present 10.6-11 2 × 2,913 hp RTM 322 / GE T700 2 pilots + 20 troops + 1 chief
EC665 Tiger Tiger 2003-present 6.6 2 × 1,774 hp MTR390 1 pilot + 1 gunner

Projects

  • X³ rotorcraft – hybrid helicopter with two forward propellers, which achieved a 255-knot speed milestone in level flight in June 2011.[22]
  • Airbus Helicopters X6 – Two year concept study into the possible launch of an 11.5t helicopter to replace the H225.[23][24]
  • Airbus RACER, experimental high-speed compound helicopter developed from the X³, targeting a 2020 first flight.
  • Airbus CityAirbus, electrically powered VTOL aircraft demonstrator, intended for an air taxi role.

Gallery

  • H120/EC120 Colibri

  • H125/AS350 Écureuil
    H125M/AS555 Fennec

  • H130/EC 130

  • H135/EC135
    H135M/EC635

  • H145/EC145
    H145M/EC645/UH-72

  • AS365 Dauphin
    AS565 Panther/HH-65/Z-9

  • H155/EC155

  • H160

  • H175

  • EC-665 Tiger

  • H215/AS332 Super Puma
    H215M/AS532 Cougar

  • NH90

  • H225/EC225 Super Puma
    H225M/EC725 Caracal

See also

Comparable major helicopter manufacturers:

  • Leonardo S.p.A.
  • Bell Helicopter
  • Boeing Rotorcraft Systems
  • MD Helicopters
  • Russian Helicopters
  • Sikorsky Aircraft

References

  1. ↑ "Bruno Even Appointed CEO of Airbus Helicopters". airbus.com (Press release). 14 February 2018.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "2021 Financial Statements". Airbus IR. pp. 25, 46. https://www.airbus.com/sites/g/files/jlcbta136/files/2022-03/AIRBUS%20FY2021%20FINANCIAL%20STATEMENTS%20DS.pdf. 
  3. ↑ "Legal Notice and Disclaimer ." Airbus Helicopters. Retrieved on 24 January 2014. "[...]whose registered Office is located Aéroport International Marseille-Provence – 13725 Marignane Cedex – France"
  4. ↑ Sheppard, Ian (2013-08-01). "Eurocopter To Be Renamed Airbus Helicopter". AIN Publications. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2013-08-01/eurocopter-be-renamed-airbus-helicopter. 
  5. ↑ "Airbus Helicopters history". Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://archive.today/20140114082556/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/ref/History_24.html. 
  6. ↑ "Landing on Air". National Geographic Adventure. 1 September 2005. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0509/whats_new/helicopter_everest.html. 
  7. ↑ "Everest 2005: The Helicopter land on Everest with video: But it is good?". http://www.everestnews.com/stories2005/everestcopter05272005.htm. 
  8. ↑ "French Everest Mystery Chopper's Utopia summit". MountEverest.net. 27 May 2005. http://www.mounteverest.net/story/FrenchEverestMysteryChoppersUtopiasummit-VIDEOMay272005.shtml. 
  9. ↑ "Airbus Helicopters – Spain". Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140116083723/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/ref/Airbus-Helicopter-Network-on-interactive-map_1290.html?countryISO2=ES. 
  10. ↑ "Airbus Helicopters – Interactive Network Map". Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140115052008/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/ref/Airbus-Helicopter-Network-on-interactive-map_1290.html. 
  11. ↑ "Rüstung: EU beschließt Bau von Helikopter" (in de). https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/ruestung-eu-beschliesst-bau-von-helikopter/3180012.html. 
  12. ↑ "Airbus Helicopters – Who We are". http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/ref/Who-We-Are_23-2.html. 
  13. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". https://www.airbus.com/en/who-we-are/our-history/helicopters-history/airbus-helicopters-takes-off-2012-2017. 
  14. ↑ "Airbus Helicopters aims high with new branding and a strategic transformation". Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20140203011704/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/press/Airbus-Helicopters-aims-high-with-new-branding-and-a-strategic-transformation_1106.html. 
  15. ↑ "New dynamic testing method at Airbus brings helicopters to market quickly". 24 July 2015. http://helihub.com/2015/07/24/new-dynamic-testing-method-at-airbus-brings-helicopters-to-market-quickly/. 
  16. ↑ Perry, Dominic (January 3, 2023). "Airbus completes acquisition of gearbox supplier ZF Luftfahrttechnik". FlightGlobal. https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopters/airbus-completes-acquisition-of-gearbox-supplier-zf-luftfahrttechnik/151505.article. 
  17. ↑ "Flying as one: Fully integrated Airbus takes off". https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2017/07/airbus-flying-as-one.html. 
  18. ↑ "Airbus renames fleet". Vertical Magazine: p. 36. April 2015. http://www.verticalmag.com/digital_issue/2015/v14i2/files/40.html. 
  19. ↑ "History is written with an HI160". March 2015. http://www.airbushelicopters.com/w1/jrotor/100/sources/projet/pdfs/page7.pdf. 
  20. ↑ "Civil Range". Airbus Helicopters. 2018. https://www.airbus.com/content/dam/corporate-topics/publications/brochures/Broch-CIVILRange-02-2018.pdf. 
  21. ↑ "Military Range". Airbus Helicopters. 2018. https://www.airbus.com/content/dam/corporate-topics/publications/brochures/Brochure-MilitaryRange.pdf. 
  22. ↑ "Eurocopter's X3 hybrid helicopter makes aviation history in achieving a speed milestone of 255 knots during level flight". http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/press/Eurocopter-s-X3-hybrid-helicopter-makes-aviation-history-in-achieving-a-speed-milestone-of-255-knots-during-level-flight_1046.html. 
  23. ↑ "PARIS: Airbus Helicopters launches X6 concept phase". 16 June 2015. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paris-airbus-helicopters-launches-x6-concept-phase-413665/. 
  24. ↑ "Airbus Helicopters launches X6 concept phase, setting the standard for the future in heavy-lift rotorcraft". 16 March 2015. https://www.airbushelicopters.com/website/en/press/Airbus-Helicopters-launches-X6-concept-phase,-setting-the-standard-for-the-future-in-heavy-lift-rotorcraft_1771.html. 

Note

  1. ↑ with Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 developed in Germany, its rotor turns counter-clockwise when viewed from above like American rotorcraft, as opposed to other Airbus Helicopters designed in France, and Russian rotorcraft
  3. ↑ UH-72 Lakota for the US Army
  4. ↑ HH-65 Dolphin for the US Coast Guard, Harbin Z-9 in China
  5. ↑ KAI KUH-1 Surion in South Korea
  6. ↑ via 62.5% share in NHIndustries joint venture

External links



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