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EUROPEAN HELICOPTER PROGRAMMES REVIEWED

The three European helicopter manufacturers offer a product range which caters for every requirement. Having survived a lean period, they now have substantial military orders on their books as well.

The helicopter manufacturers have (so far) survived the spate of mergers which has been taking place amongst fixed wing aircraft manufacturers unscathed. Thus, apart from a few smaller companies and the Russians, the helicopter scene continues to be dominated by the US companies Bell, Boeing and Sikorsky and their European rivals, Eurocopter, Agusta and GKN Westland. But despite all the competition, military collaborative programmes have become the norm on both sides of the Atlantic. Whereas, as usual, European manufacturers have no chance of selling to the US forces, European governments are making substantial purchases from America.

Yet despite this imbalance, Eurocopter has in recent years become the leading helicopter manufacturer world-wide, a position it maintained for the fourth consecutive year in 1999. According to the company, Eurocopter supplied 45% of all civilian helicopters with turbine engines in 1999. On top of its strong position in Europe, where its market share was 65%, Eurocopter also succeeded in taking the lead in North America, where it accounted for 48% of new aircraft registrations. Together with military machines, there were 241 deliveries, 20 per cent more than in 1998. Turnover reached 3,416 billion DM.

One of the major successes of 1999 was the signing of the contract for serial production of the Tiger attack helicopter. Starting in 2002, Germany and France will each be taking delivery of 80 helicopters worth DM 3.17 billion. With this order in hand, it should become easier for the Tiger to hold its own on the export markets against the apparently invincible Boeing AH-64 Apache. Having recently failed to make the shortlist for Turkey's attack helicopter requirement, Eurocopter now has its sights set on Australia and South Korea.

NH90 and Tiger

If 1999 was the year of the Tiger, then 2000 should at last see the multi-purpose NH90 helicopter, in which Agusta is also a partner, materialise into the success story which has been so keenly awaited. The long drawn out negotiations between the participating nations and industry evidently reached their conclusion in the middle of April. The prospects are now good that both the Memorandum of Understanding between Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands and also the contract for serial production and an initial batch of around 200 helicopters will be signed at the Berlin air show in June.

With the Tiger and the NH90, Eurocopter will then have two high-tech models on offer in the military sector. They supplement a wide range of civilian aircraft in whose modernisation the company has invested considerable sums over the last few years. New market launches include the light twin-engined EC 135 (first delivery July 1996) which succeeds the Bo 105, the single-engined EC 120 (first delivery January 1998), and the EC 155, a Dauphin derivative for the five-tonne class (the first of these was delivered to the German Border Guard in March1999). On top of these programmes, there are new versions of the best-seller AS 350 Ecureuil and the large Super Puma. Finally, Eurocopter has a pipeline that includes the EC 145, an improved BK 117 which had its maiden flight in June 1999, and the Mi-38, a joint development with the Russians.

Compared with Eurocopter, GKN Westland's product portfolio appears quite modest. The Yeovil-based British company is continuing production of the Lynx (recently including seven new Mk.88A's for the German Navy) and is now assembling most of the 67 Apache Longbows ordered by the British forces under licence from Boeing. The first of these was officially delivered on 15 March.

Also in full production is the 15-tonne EH101 developed jointly with Agusta, of which the British and Italian forces and also Canada have together ordered around 100 aircraft. EH101 and Apache are certainly generating large turnover.

Apart from the EH101, Agusta is relying on its A109 family of light twins, which gained more market share in recent years. The single-engined derivative A119 Koala achieved certification in December 1999. Still under development is the AB139 in the six-tonne class, on which the Italians are collaborating with the US helicopter manufacturer Bell. The two companies are also working together on the tilt rotor BA 609.

A formal tie-up between Agusta and GKN Westland is also be on the cards. A declaration of intent was signed back in April 1998 for an "alliance of equals". Since then we have heard little about the discussions, possibly because Agusta's parent company Finmeccanica was preoccupied with other European alliance issues.However, if the deal does go ahead in the near future, the result will be a company with an impressive order backlog.

From FLUG REVUE 6/2000