EH Industries has delivered the first EH101 to Japan, but the helicopter's entry into service with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police is facing delay as the result of the planned take-over of local trading house, Okura, which imported the helicopter.
The General Electric CT7-6-powered helicopter has been delivered to Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Gifu plant, where it will be reassembled by Agusta personnel in preparation for flight testing and acceptance trials.
The helicopter however, has become ensnared in the collapse of Okura's aerospace business, which originally ordered the EH101 for the Tokyo branch of the Police Aviation Corps.
Rival trading house Marubeni has announced its intention to acquire the Okura aviation business, but has only just begun the process of due diligence. The company says that it also needs to reach agreement on the transfer of distribution deals with Okura's foreign clients, which - aside from the Agusta/Westland consortium - also include AlliedSignal and Gulfstream .
Delivery of the helicopter to the police will also have to await type certification by the Italian authorities. Only then will the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau agree to conduct its own airworthiness certification. The latest timetable calls for the helicopter to enter service by late November.
The EH101 will replace the Tokyo police force's existing Kawasaki/Boeing KV-107, used for search and rescue and disaster relief missions.
It will complement the unit's other helicopters, including five Bell 412s, four 206Ls, one Eurocopter AS332L Super Puma and single AS365N Dauphin.
Source: Flight International
