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Jane’s Helicopter Markets and Systems: Executive Overview 2007
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| 11 January 2007 |
Jane’s Helicopter Markets and Systems: Executive Overview 2007
By Günter Endres, Editor of Jane's Helicopter Markets and Systems
Expanding economies in the US and Latin America, with continued strength in Asia, will drive up demand for civil helicopters. Rolls-Royce and Honeywell both agree that single-engine helicopters will account for the majority of new deliveries, although there is a noticeable upsurge in demand for intermediate-twin helicopters. There is rather more buoyancy in the military field, due to extended programmes coming into production and major engine and performance upgrades. Rolls-Royce predicts that new military helicopter deliveries will top 5,000 over the next decade.
The battle has been joined by manufacturers for global market share, with aggressive strategic moves by the two main European producers to further unlock Fortress America, and gain a foothold in the potentially lucrative Chinese market. Central and Eastern Europe, where eight new countries joined the European Union (together with Malta and Cyprus) on 1 May 2004, are also being targeted.
AgustaWestland has set up an assembly facility in Philadelphia for the A 109 Koala and has high hopes for the AW139, now produced solely by AgustaWestland. Lockheed Martin, AgustaWestland and Bell have won the delayed presidential helicopter programme with the US101, an Americanised version of the three-engined EH101. This first order by the US military for a non-US helicopter was the springboard to further orders, both civil and military.
Eurocopter has been selected to provide the US Army with a new light utility helicopter (LUH), for which the European company proposed the EC 145, to be known as the US145. The army intends to procure a total of 322 helicopters beginning in fiscal year 2007. Bell had won the competition for the armed reconnaissance helicopter (ARH) with a beefed-up version of its Model 407 light single in July 2005. Sikorsky is also making further moves into China, having signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AVIC II to collaborate on the development and manufacture of a range of civil helicopters.
Bell and Boeing achieved a significant milestone with the V-22 tiltrotor, having been granted approval by the US Department of Defense for Full Rate Production (FRP). Current plans include the delivery of 360 aircraft to the US Marine Corps, 50 to the US Air Force and 48 to the US Navy. Boeing has been awarded a contract for the Block III upgrade of 284 US Army AH-64D helicopters and in November 2006, its HH-47 Chinook was slected by the US Air Force as the winner of its Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) programme which called for the production of 141 aircraft.
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© 2006 Jane's Information Group
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