Helicopter would have offshore and VIP transport roles
Eurocopter is studying a civil variant of the NH Industries NH90 medium twin helicopter that would be targeted at the offshore support and government/VIP transport markets.
The EADS subsidiary says it has received expressions of interest from potential buyers of a civil-certificated NH90, but no target date has been set for a launch decision. "It is something we are looking at," says Eurocopter.
If the programme goes ahead, the aircraft could be assembled outside Eurocopter's factories in France and Germany, possibly at its new factory in Mississippi, USA, say industry sources. The Mississippi plant is due to open later this year, initially producing Ecureuil/AStar light helicopters.
Eurocopter has 62.5% of NHIndustries, with Agusta and Fokker holding 32% and 5.5%, respectively. The military NH90 order backlog stands at 357 and the aircraft are being produced on four final assembly lines - in France, Germany, Italy and Finland.
Eurocopter expects demand for civil helicopters in the NH90's class to grow as oilfields move further offshore.
In the government and VIP transport market, the civil NH90 could be an alternative to larger types such as the AgustaWestland EH101 and Sikorsky S-92. Eurocopter now offers the 8.6-11t AS332/EC225 Super Puma family in the offshore/VIP markets. The NH90 has an all-composite fuselage, fly-by-wire flight controls and a maximum weight of 10.6t in its military configuration.
Meanwhile, Eurocopter is looking at options for entering the 6.5t helicopter class to plug the gap between the 4-5t Dauphin and the Super Puma. It says such a model could be developed as a spin-off from the utility version of the Korean Multi-purpose Helicopter if it is selected as the foreign partner on the South Korean programme.
ANDREW DOYLE / DONAUWÖRTH
Source: Flight International