Airframes Already Begun as Part of EADS North America's
Commitment to the Army's LUH Program
EADS North America will
produce the UH-145 rotary wing aircraft, the company's offering for
the Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), at the American
Eurocopter Columbus, Mississippi facility.
The announcement was made by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour,
EADS CEO Thomas Enders and Ralph D. Crosby, Jr., Chairman and CEO
of EADS North America at a joint press conference held in the
Mississippi State Capitol. Earlier in the day, EADS and Airbus
executives, along with federal and state government officials,
participated in a groundbreaking ceremony in Mobile, Alabama to
begin construction on a new Airbus engineering center.
Operational since 2004, the Columbus facility currently handles
a full range of manufacturing, assembly and upgrade activities for
American Eurocopter, which is a leader in the U.S. helicopter
marketplace. A selection of the UH-145 as the U.S. Army's Light
Utility Helicopter will result in significant expansion of the
Columbus operation's size and employment.
In making the announcement, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour
said, "EADS North America's decision to produce the UH-145 in
Mississippi is further evidence of our industrial growth in high
technology fields, and particularly in aerospace technology. We are
proud of Mississippi's success in attracting leading manufacturers
like EADS North America and American Eurocopter to our great
state."
"The Columbus facility is a modern and extremely capable plant
that is tailor-made for future UH-145 production," stated Thomas
Enders, CEO of EADS. "It is staffed by dedicated employees whose
skills have been continuously demonstrated since the opening of the
facility in October 2004. Since then, they have met the demanding
requirements of our civilian and government helicopter customers,
including the United States Coast Guard."
"If the UH-145 is selected by the U.S. Army, we will deliver
from our Mississippi facility the most capable, best value solution
to meet the full range of LUH mission requirements," said EADS
North America's Ralph Crosby. "Award of that contract would create
more than 200 new - highly-skilled jobs in Columbus and make it
truly a national center of excellence in helicopter manufacture in
the United States. EADS' industrial commitment to America also was
demonstrated this morning in Mobile, Alabama as we broke ground on
the Mobile Engineering Center."
"With more than 300 units expected to be required, this is a
very important product for the U.S. Army and it will help ensure
that our armed forces remain equipped with the best equipment
available," said Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi. "This decision
also is indicative of this world class company's confidence in
Mississippi's workforce. Since coming to Columbus, the employees of
Mississippi's EADS Golden Triangle facility have demonstrated their
skill and ability to manufacture high quality aerospace products,
and they've helped give our state a firmer foothold in the
competitive international aerospace industry. Mississippi looks
forward to growing with EADS."
"As a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I'm
keenly aware of the LUH's importance to the Army's homeland defense
and security mission. Mississippians have a long tradition of
support for our nation's military. We are committed to bring that
same enthusiastic support to the LUH program in Columbus," stated
Congressman Roger Wicker, representing the First Congressional
District of Mississippi.
Located in Mississippi's Golden Triangle region, the
85,000-sq-ft. Columbus facility currently builds A-Star AS350
helicopters at a rate of 30 aircraft per year. In addition, it
handles the assembly and customization of other Eurocopter
helicopter models, and its advanced metallic production center
manufactures components that include aft fuselage sections for all
new-production A-Star/Ecureuil helicopters sold worldwide.
In another important function, the Columbus plant is re-engining
and upgrading U.S. Coast Guard Eurocopter HH-65 helicopters -
converting these maritime patrol and search & rescue aircraft
to the improved performance HH-65C version. It also will assemble,
customize and deliver EC120B helicopters ordered by the Department
of Homeland Security's U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air
Branch, which are to be deployed along the southwest and northern
borders of the United States.
Employment at the Columbus facility has grown steadily since the
plant's 2004 opening. It started with a team of 44 - most of whom
were hired locally from the Golden Triangle region- and has grown
to a staff of more than 115 today.
A selection of the UH-145 as the U.S. Army's Light Utility
Helicopter will result in another important expansion for the
Columbus plant. Its covered area will more than double, and as many
as 250 new jobs could be created. The existing site is located
adjacent to Golden Triangle Regional Airport, and includes
sufficient room for the future growth.
The U.S.-built UH-145 is an American solution based on the
multi-mission EC145 rotary-wing aircraft, which has become the
helicopter of choice for many U.S. hospitals and medical evacuation
providers. These aircraft are operating daily in the same
challenging missions foreseen for the Army's Light Utility
Helicopter, which will be assigned duties that include medical
evacuation, passenger and logistics transportation, search and
rescue, and homeland security operations.
As the UH-145 prime contractor, EADS North America has assembled
a leading industrial team that, in addition to American Eurocopter,
includes Sikorsky Aircraft, which will provide its contractor
logistics support (CLS) expertise and WestWind Technologies,
contributing its experience in quick-reaction helicopter systems
integration, engineering support and program management
support.
Demonstrating its
commitment to the UH-145 program, EADS has launched initial
production UH-145s at its existing EC145 production line in
Germany. The first two aircraft already have entered assembly. This
production decision will allow EADS North America to meet an Army
delivery schedule which calls for the first Light Utility
Helicopter to be received later this year.
The UH-145s would be completed and delivered to the Army from
the Columbus, Mississippi facility, as the Columbus UH-145 assembly
line transitions from light assembly to full-scale production.
"The U.S. Army is looking for a commercial-off-the-shelf
solution to fulfill its Light Utility Helicopter mission, and the
UH-145 meets or exceeds all of its requirements," explained Marc
Paganini, American Eurocopter President and CEO.
"The commercial EC145 from which the UH-145 is derived has been
in full-scale production for customers in the United States and
around the world since its launch in 2002. We are fully prepared to
support the U.S. Army's requirements and delivery schedule with a
low-risk, best-value solution."
The UH-145 team has prepared a UH-145 helicopter at its Grand
Prairie, Texas, headquarters facility to participate in the
demonstration phase of the U.S. Army Light Utility Helicopter
competition.