Helicopter Joint Venture Hits Another Milestone

On November 15, Harbin Aviation Industry Co. (HAIG) successfully delivered the first EC175 airframe structure to Eurocopter at its factory in Harbin/China in the presence of representatives from both companies. This is the third key milestone for the development of the multi-role medium-twin class 16-passenger helicopter.

The EC175/Z15 is a 50:50 joint program between Eurocopter and HAIG, a subsidiary of the Chinese helicopter manufacturer AVICOPTER. The cooperation contract was signed in December 2005, with the completion of the Preliminary Design Review in 2006 followed by the Critical Design Review in 2007.

After the delivery of this airframe structure from Harbin, the assembly of the first EC175 prototype will start in Marignane with its maiden flight will take place by the end of 2009. The EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) type certification for this helicopter is expected for 2011 with CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) certification for this aircraft, called "Z15" in China, in 2012.

Representatives with Eurocopter and HAIG say they are "very satisfied" with the progress of the development program which is consistent with the initial schedule. Both parties also insisted on the excellent spirit between the teams since the very beginning of the cooperation.

The delivery of the first EC175 helicopter is expected to start in 2012 with the objective to sell approximately 800 helicopters over 20 years worldwide. A big step towards this target was taken at the unveiling of the helicopter at Heli-Expo 2008 in Houston this February where Eurocopter signed intentions to buy with 13 different customers for a total of 111 units in 3 days.

Showcased for the first time at Zhuhai Airshow in early November in China, a letter of intent for five Z15 helicopters was also signed between HAIG and Longken General Aviation Cooperation, a domestic general-purpose aviation company.

FMI: www.eurocopter.com