Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter Group SAS ) is a European manufacturer of helicopters and aircraft components. Airbus Helicopters was founded in 1992 from the helicopter divisions of Aerospatiale, DASA and the French. Airbus Helicopters is a wholly owned subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company Airbus Group (formerly EADS).

Airbus Helicopters is the world leader in the civil and semi-public helicopter market with a market share of 52 percent in 2010. In April of the same year, there were more than 10,500 helicopters operating in over 140 countries. In 2012, a turnover of 6.3 billion euros in total 469 new orders were generated.

Organization

Airbus Helicopters was founded in 1992 and is a Franco-German- Spanish Eurocopter Group is division of Airbus Group, a world leader in the aerospace and defense. Organizationally, Airbus Helicopters divided into a German, a French and a Spanish section. The international and French headquarters is located in Marignane, the German Danube in Wörth and the Spanish in Madrid. As part of the restructuring of the parent company and the group became the year 2013/2014 in Airbus, Eurocopter Helicopters.

Research and production

Locations can be found in Germany in:

• Donauwörth (Management Airbus Germany Helicopters, development, prototyping, maintenance, rotors and finishing, aircraft doors, Test Center, Customer Service, Training Center );
• Ottobrunn (formerly development, since 2013 relocation to Donauwörth ) and
• Kassel (maintenance, equipment and technical training );

In France:

• Marignane (management, development, prototyping, maintenance, finishing, logistics, test center and customer service) and
• La Courneuve ( Rotorenbau and development, marketing );

In Spain:

• Madrid (Management Eurocopter Spain, hull fabrication, maintenance and fabrication of devices )
• Albacete ( fuselage and final assembly, logistics and maintenance)

In the United States there is the management of American Eurocopter in Grand Prairie, Texas, and a production facility in Columbus, Mississippi. In Brazil Airbus Helicopters holds shares in the local helicopter manufacturer Helibras.

History

Beginning of July 2006 it was announced that the U.S. Army is supplied with Eurocopter helicopters worth about three billion U.S. dollars ( 2.36 billion euros ). The 332 helicopter UH- 145 are the largest order for a single model at Eurocopter. Another option for up to 20 in the next ten years was agreed. The first delivery was scheduled for November 2006. In LUH ( Light Utility Helicopter) program Eurocopter and EADS are the main contractor of the U.S. armed forces for the first time. The demand in the LUH program includes up to 352 helicopters.

Since 2003, Mr Brégier was CEO of Eurocopter and was appointed in November 2006 as COO of Airbus. His successor as CEO of Eurocopter was Lutz Bertling, who held this position until March 2013. He is succeeded by Guillaume Faury.

A total of 381 new military and civil helicopters were delivered in 2006, which meant a total turnover of 3.8 billion euros and an increase of 18 percent over 2005. The year was characterized by a high demand for new models. It increased up to 615 new helicopters, with a total value of 4.89 billion euros (2005: 3.52 billion euros ). To the end of December 2006, the order backlog reached a new record level of 11 billion euros.

In December 2008, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that the European aerospace and defense group EADS the contract for delivery of 39 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH ) of EADS UH -72A Lakota to the U.S. Army valued at $ 208 million ( has received almost 164 million euros ). The helicopters are there to replace the UH -1 Iroquois in the variant UH- 1H. A total of 345 Lakota helicopters to be purchased by 2017. 200 of them will be delivered to the National Guard. As part of the restructuring and renaming of the parent company EADS, Eurocopter was decided in August 2013 to rename in Airbus Helicopters. The company is in direct competition with the Russian helicopter consortium Oboronprom.

Research

Low-noise blades

Since 1998/99 Airbus Helicopters working on a way to minimize the characteristic hacking a helicopter. Starting point are the blades, as the noise is primarily caused by them; the power turbine occurs less annoying in this case. The aerodynamic development of the rotors made ​​in recent decades, although significant progress, so the noise in the cruise were drastically reduced, can not be completely avoided this " rattling" noise with conventional rotor blades however. Similar to the wing tips of an airplane produced at the rotors spiral vortex which interfere in cruise relatively little because they are rapidly transported from the rotor plane of the incoming air. Is the helicopter in the slow sinking or climb, by proposing the following rotor blade, the resulting vortex of the previous ones. This sudden pressure change acts like a popping whip - the quick succession of " lashes " is seen on the ground as an irritating rattle. To counter this effect, was a rotor blade with Doppelpfeilung - similar to the wings of an albatross - developed. This allowed the rattle can be reduced by 3 to 4 dB.

The noise of the rotor blades can also be attenuated by active flaps on the rotor blades, which are regulated in the cycle of rotation. This allows a significant reduction of the noise level and vibrations reach. In the long term should be possible by 90 percent even reductions of vibration. In the fall of 2005, the system was tested on the experimental helicopter BK 117 S7045 at Eurocopter's location in the Bavarian Danube Wörth for the first time in flight operations. If it appears that the method in the flight test to be functional and efficient planning Eurocopter, the flaps for use on the EC 145 to make ready for production. Later, the application is also provided on other types of Eurocopter helicopters.

Helicopter with diesel engine drive

At the Paris Air Show 2009 was the first time the concept of a diesel engine ( with pistons and high compression - instead of kerosene turbine) powered helicopter, the so-called Bluecopters presented. Development goal is that noise by 10 dB, the emission of carbon dioxide by 30% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 60 % to reduce.

Airbus Helicopters X3

Since 25 January 2008, worked at Airbus Helicopters at a fast-flying air screwdrivers. This fast-flying aircraft - helicopter hybrid was English high-speed hybrid helicopter, abbreviated H3, called, which later became the name X3 ( X -Cube ) emerged, where X stands for eXperimental. The X3 flight screwdriver consists of the hull and the main rotor of the EC155 ( AS365 N4 Dauphin ) with two turbines of the NH90 type RTM322 of Rolls- Royce, was placed on the an adapted main gearbox of the EC175, which in turn drives the main rotor and two propulsion propeller. At higher speeds is reduced, the rotational speed of the rotor in order to avoid supersonic velocities of the rotor blades, which affect the velocity of the forward flight due to the air compression thereby occurring. A tail rotor to compensate the torque of the lifting rotor, is not required, as this is compensated for by the drive propeller. With this configuration, speeds in excess of 220 knots (410 km / h) are to be achieved. On September 6, 2010, Airbus Helicopters took flight tests of a prototype of the flying wrench X3 on the Istres -Le Tube Air Base ( Base Aérienne 125) to ( aircraft registration mark: F- ZXXX ). The desired design objective is summarized in a 50 percent increase in the speed of only 25% increase in cost.

Eurocopter X4

An entirely new concept for a mild to moderate helicopter presented, which aims at replacing the twin-engine EC 155 - On March 6, 2011, from Lutz Bertling ( Eurocopter CEO ) - in his own words. The X4 -called technology represents a new approach of helicopter flying, which should be possible without having previously taken for granted the cockpit. The advantages are, according to Eurocopter is to allow more payload and more security. The helicopter will be provided, inter alia, five blades noise and fly- by-wire. When driving a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210 turbine shaft serves. The product launch is expected for 2016.

Eurocopter X6

As the successor of the Super Puma family, the X6 is to be developed.

Eurocopter X9

In August 2012, the CEO of Eurocopter in the presence of German Economics Minister Philipp Rösler announced their intention to develop a new helicopter that does not already produced has as basis. The development costs were estimated at 1 billion euros for this purpose and partly subsidized. Performance and dates were not mentioned. The helicopter will replace the AS 365 (Dauphin ).

Drone helicopter

In April 2013, Eurocopter presented the A- Flight ago drone helicopter, which is an OPV helicopter based on the EC 145. If required, these helicopters also fly manned. The system is designed for military as well as civilian use.

Designation system

Airbus Helicopters used for the description of its products a unique code, which is composed of three digits. These terms have not changed by renaming the beginning of 2014. The following applies:

1st digit: application of the helicopter, where " 1" for a civilian, "6" for a military variant.

2nd digit: MTOW ("Maximum Takeoff Weight" ) rounded up at a gross weight in tons. If it exceeds 10 tonnes, the tens digit is added to the first digit.

3rd digit: Number of engines, with "0" for HS and with a "5" for HS with two engines.

Example: EC135 civilian variant of 3-t -HS with two engines or EC725 military version of a 12 -t -HS with two engines (this code is not valid, or only partially for older pattern, so MBB SA).

List of helicopters

• SA 315 Lama / SA 318 Alouette II
• SA 316 / SA 319 Alouette III
• SA 321 Super Frelon
• SA 330 Puma
• Aérospatiale AS 332 Super Puma / AS 532 Cougar
• SA 341 / SA 342 Gazelle
• Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil / Fennec AS 550
• Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil 2 / AS 555 Fennec
• SA 360 Dauphin
• AS 365 Dauphin 2 / AS 565 Panther
• HAL ALH; HAL Dhruv see
• (MBB ) BK 117, jointly developed with KHI.
• (MBB ) BO 105
• EC120
• EC130
• EC135
• EC145, together with KHI developed.
• EC155
• EC175, together with Harbin Aviation Industry Group develops.
• EC225
• EC635
• EC645
• EC725
• EC665 Tiger
• NH90, in the context of NHIndustries developed together with Stork / Fokker and AgustaWestland.

World record landing

On 14 May 2005, the first landed a Eurocopter helicopter on the summit of Mount Everest ( 8848 m). From the Tenzing Hillary Airport in Lukla ( 2866 m) from the test pilot Didier Delsalle rose to a standard Ecureuil / AStar AS 350 B3 and landed clock 07:08 (local time) at the summit. After two minutes, stay he returned to base. The record flight was repeated on 15 May 2005.

Aircraft components

Airbus Helicopters As a supplier, Aircraft Parts ago, especially the passenger doors and cargo doors for virtually all Airbus aircraft types. The production is mostly in Donauwörth. Furthermore, are produced in Donauwörth the plastic panels for the area of ​​the rear landing gear of the A320.