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Heli-Expo 2009: Eurocopter smacks down technology gauntlet

John Croft
 on February 23, 2009 12:03 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |

Don't take my word for it, but Eurocopter has quite publicly thrown down the technology gauntlet in the helicopter world, an aerospace sector where it dominates with 51% market share, though one where it rarely trumpets the details of its advanced R&D.

Speaking to reporters at the Heli-Expo show in Anaheim, California, yesterday morning, Eurocopter president and CEO Lutz Bertling confirmed that the EADS subsidiary has again boosted its R&D budget by double digits this year, and results of that investment are slowly being unveiled (though in some cases, not slow enough, apparently....)

The video below is a segment of Lutz's talk, and in case you can't quite hear it, his main points are:

  • Eurocopter has successfully flown an EC155 as an unmanned aerial vehicle as part of a military program. Sources tell me the flight took place in June 2008 somewhere in France.
  • Eurocopter has completed a GPS-controlled hospital-to-hospital flight in a very hostile environment in the French mountains in an EC145. (I haven't yet gotten clarification of what this is, exactly)
  • Eurocopter has "pre-developed" one new helicopter...
  • Eurocopter is "looking for the step beyond" - faster, greener helicopters in the-2020-2025 timeframe. Early results of the green program could be a diesel-powered EC120 in the next 2-2.5 years.

Bertling didn't mention anything about the company's new "X3" high speed demonstrator project, a program Rolls-Royce happened to mention it is press briefing later in the day. Eurocopter press aids denied the existence of the program when asked what Rolls was talking about.

 

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