Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter Group) is the helicopters manufacturingdivision of Airbus Group. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries. Its head office is located at Marseille Provence Airport in Marignane, France, near Marseille.[1] The main facilities of Airbus Helicopters are at its headquarters in Marignane, France and in Donauwörth, Germany, with additional production plants in Brazil (Itajubá,MG), Australia, Spain and the United States. The company was renamed Airbus Helicopters on 2 January 2014.[2]
Airbus Helicopters and its predecessor companies have established a wide range of helicopter 'firsts,' including the first production turboshaft-powered helicopter (the Aérospatiale Alouette II of 1955); the introduction of the Fenestron shrouded tail rotor (on the Gazelle of 1968); the first helicopter certified for full flight in icing conditions (the AS332 Super Puma, in 1984); the first production helicopter with a Fly-by-wire control system (the NHIndustries NH90, first flown in full FBW mode in 2003); the first helicopter to use a Fly-by-light primary control system (an EC135 testbed, first flown in 2003); and the first ever landing of a helicopter on Mt. Everest (achieved by an AS350 B3 in 2005).[4][5][6]
As a consequence of the merger of Airbus Helicopters' former parents in 2000, the firm is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus Group. The creation of what was then called EADS in 2000 also incorporated CASA of Spain, which itself had a history of helicopter-related activities dating back to Talleres Loring, including local assembly of the Bo105.
As of 2014, more than 12,000 Airbus Helicopters were in service with over 3,000 customers in around 150 countries.[9]
Eurocopter sold 422 helicopters in 2013 and delivered 497 helicopters that year.[10]
Products
When the division changed its name from Eurocopter Group to Airbus Helicopters in 2014 the trade names of the products were changed as follows to reflect this:[11]
X³ rotorcraft - hybrid helicopter with two forward propellers, which achieved a 255-knot speed milestone in level flight in June 2011.[12]
Some of the helicopters were renamed in 2015, resembling Airbus airplane naming.[13]
Note: On Airbus Helicopters aircraft designed in France, the main rotor turns clockwise when viewed from above, in common with rotorcraft deriving from Russia. Airbus Helicopters products developed in Germany have a main rotor which turns counter-clockwise when viewed from above, in common with American rotorcraft.
References
^"Legal Notice and Disclaimer." Airbus Helicopters. Retrieved on 24 January 2014. "[...]whose registered Office is located Aéroport International Marseille-Provence – 13725 Marignane Cedex - France"
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