Latest Helicopters News (page 1)

Helicopters are the most versatile flying machines in existence today! These aircraft which are lifted and propelled by one or more large horizontal rotors (propellers), are classified as rotary-wing aircraft. This section of your international aviation news magazine presents news from designers and builders of the world's most advanced helicopters for commercial, industrial and military use.

03/10/08: SECOM Takes Delivery Of Its AW109 Power Helicopter

AgustaWestland and Kaigai Aviotech Corporation are pleased to announce that SECOM, the largest security company in Japan, has taken delivery of its corporate-configured AW109 Power helicopter. The official ceremony has been performed at Japan Aerospace 2008 today. This helicopter was received by Kaigai Aviotech Corporation early summer to undergo final customization and the AW109 Power has now achieved operational readiness to carry out transport duties for SECOM’s staff and supplies for BCP (Business Continuity Plan in case of disasters such as earthquake, etc.).

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03/10/08: UI Helicopters Establishes AgustaWestland Service Centre In The Republic Of Korea

AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that KBHC, soon to be renamed UI Helicopters, a subsidiary of AgustaWestland exclusive official distributor UII - United Industries International, has been appointed AgustaWestland Service Centre in the Republic of Korea. The Service Centre will be located at Yesang, just outside of Seoul, and will be operational by the end of 2008. As the sole Authorized Service Centre in the Republic of Korea for AgustaWestland, the primary responsibility of UI Helicopters will be to provide maintenance and repair services as well as maintaining a spare parts inventory for the AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter. Through UI Helicopters, AgustaWestland will be able to offer its growing number of customers in the Republic of Korea a greater level of service.

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01/10/08: Kanematsu Corporation Orders 16 AgustaWestland Helicopters

AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that Kanematsu Corporation, AgustaWestland’s representative in Japan, has signed a contract for 16 helicopters comprising 14 AW109 Power light twin helicopters and two AgustaWestland Grand twin engine helicopters for delivery through 2011. The contract was signed at a ceremony held today at the Japan Aerospace 2008 Exhibition in Yokohama. AgustaWestland has achieved growing success in Japan’s law enforcement market recently and through the partnership with Kanematsu Corporation, AgustaWestland is rapidly becoming the leader in this important market. When combined with an order placed earlier in 2008 for five AW109 Power helicopters, the total number of orders placed by Kanematsu this year totals 21.

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23/09/08: AgustaWesland reports: First VH-71 presidential helicopter production aircraft takes flight

Yeovil, UK, September 22, 2008 – The VH-71 presidential helicopter program achieved another major milestone today when the first operational pilot production helicopter (PP 1) completed its maiden flight at AgustaWestland’s facility in Yeovil, England. “We’re seeing real progress and execution on this program,” said U.S. Navy VH-71 program manager Capt. Donald Gaddis. “With agreement on the way forward and a more realistic schedule, we can build on the momentum we have generated as we deliver the increment one helicopters to the Marine Corps and White House and move into the increment two phase.” A U.S. Air Force crew will transport the helicopter aboard a C-17 cargo aircraft to U.S. Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD, in early October.

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18/09/08: Precision Aviation Services Establishes Second AgustaWestland Service Centre in South Africa

AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that Precision Aviation Services (PAS) will establish the second AgustaWestland Service Centre at Cape Town International Airport in South Africa. The Service Centre will be set up by and opened by the end of 2008 adding to the PAS-managed one located in Pretoria. The new facility will provide maintenance and repair services as well as maintaining a spare parts inventory for a range of AgustaWestland helicopters including the AW119 Ke, AW109 Power, Grand and AW139.

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18/09/08: Russian Customer Takes Delivery Of The First AW119 Ke Helicopter With Versace Designed Interior

AgustaWestland and Versace are pleased to announce, during a ceremony held at JetExpo 2008 in Moscow today, that the first AW119 Ke single turbine engine helicopter featuring a Versace-styled interior has been delivered to a private customer in Russia. The VIP/corporate transport-configured helicopter owned by Sergei Shmakov has been configured in an six seat layout trimmed in white and blue leather bearing the Versace trademark of style, elegance and luxury. The AW119 Ke is the latest helicopter in the AgustaWestland range, following the AW109 Power and Grand light twins, and the AW139 medium twin, to be fitted with Versace interiors and adorned with the unique Versace designed paint scheme. The delivery of this AW119 Ke marks the continued success of the AW119 Ke in the Russian commercial helicopter market.

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17/09/08: Transnet National Port Authority Of South Africa Orders A Grand Helicopter For Harbour Pilot Shuttle Operations

AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that the Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) of South Africa has ordered a Grand light twin helicopter for its Harbour Pilot Shuttle (HPS) service. This Grand will perform marine pilot transfer operations, search and rescue missions, emergency medical evacuation and general support to international shipping. This order adds to previous contracts placed by the TNPA for two A109 K2s and one AW109 Power which have now completed more than 10,000 flight hours and more than 20,000 hoisting operations. The selection of the Grand by TNPA confirms its continued satisfaction with AgustaWestland products for this critical and demanding mission.

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17/09/08: The 100th Grand Helicopter Assigned To Russian Customer

AgustaWestland is pleased to announce the assignment of the 100th Grand light twin helicopter to a Russian private customer. The aircraft will be used for VIP/corporate transport purposes by its owner Alexander G. Shishkin. Its handover will take place later this year. AgustaWestland, which has achieved significant success in recent years in Russia, sees even greater business opportunities in the country through the contract and distribution agreement recently signed with Oboronprom Corporation and Loyd’s Investments Corp. This three-staged agreement includes plans to establish a number of maintenance centres throughout Russia to support the expanding AgustaWestland fleet of commercial helicopters. In July this year it was announced that AgustaWestland and Oboronprom plan to sign a joint production agreement for the AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter in Russia for both domestic and international markets.

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17/09/08: Uganda Police AW119 Achieves Mission Readiness

AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that the Uganda Police Air Wing has started operating its new AW119 Koala single engine helicopter. The aircraft was delivered to the customer in August and is now fully operational providing the Uganda Police with new airborne capabilities. The AW119 is being used to perform various missions including law enforcement, rescue and VIP transport. This delivery marks the first Koala to be delivered to Uganda and the entry of the type in the African homeland security helicopter market.

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17/09/08: Boeing to Provide Research and Development for US Army Rotorcraft Programs

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 17, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has won three competitive proposals resulting in U.S. Army Technology Investment Agreements with a combined value of more than $19 million. The agreements with the Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate cover applied research and development in support of the Rotor Durability Army Technology Objective (ATO) and the High Performance Rotary Wing Vehicle Designs (HPRWVD) program. “This research will provide near-term solutions to support the Army’s immediate needs to keep blades in service longer, enhance capabilities for the current fleet and lay the groundwork for future advanced rotorcraft designs,” said Pat Donnelly, director of Boeing Advanced Rotorcraft Systems.

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17/09/08: Bell Delivers Huey II Helicopter to Kern County Sheriff’s Office

BAKERSFIELD, CA (September 17, 2008) - Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced the delivery of a Bell Huey II helicopter to the Kern County Sheriff’s Department. The helicopter will significantly enhance the ability of the Sheriff’s department to perform its wide ranging responsibilities throughout the county. Sheriff Donny Youngblood said, “This Huey II helicopter will increase our capability to transport law enforcement personnel (SWAT), conduct search and rescue operations and aid in environmental disaster operations across the wide spectrum of terrain found in the county.”

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17/09/08: Eurocopter opens upgraded Cape Town Service Facility as Southern African Helicopter Market rapidly expands – and strongly supports Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition

Eurocopter, the world’s leading supplier of civil, law enforcement, emergency response and utility helicopters, has invested around ZAR 2 million in upgrading its Cape Town-based servicing and maintenance facility, enabling it to support a rapidly expanding Southern African customer base and fleet. The company’s regional subsidiary, Eurocopter Southern Africa (Pty.) Ltd., will officially open its newly refurbished Cape Town facility on September 18th, to coincide with the Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition where it has a strong presence. For 2008, Eurocopter Southern Africa expects to maintain the 2007 record year level for bookings and turn-over of roughly ZAR 650 million and ZAR 508 million respectively. This represents an increase of 3 times over that of 2005 which in turn has allowed Eurocopter to maintain its market share in excess of 70 per cent in this region.

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15/09/08: Sikorsky Aerospace Services to provide Aerial Refueling Capability for 13 U.S. Air Force H-60 Helicopters

STRATFORD, Conn., Sept. 15, 2008 – Sikorsky Aerospace Services today announced a contract to supply the U.S. Air Force with 13 aerial refueling assemblies for H-60 helicopters. Sikorsky Aerospace Services is the worldwide aftermarket division of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX). “The refuel assemblies enable in-flight aircraft refueling, which increases the helicopters’ range, saving valuable time and expanding the mission and role of the aircraft,” said George Mitchell, Director, Sikorsky Aerospace Services, Material Logistics and Spares. Sikorsky Aerospace Services supplies the fuel probe assemblies as an aftermarket option for H-60 aircraft. The contract value is approximately $2 million.

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11/09/08: Eurocopter successfully leads the first firing campaign of the HAD Tiger using the Spike missile

As part of the development of the HAD (support and destruction helicopter) version of the Tiger, Eurocopter successfully completed a firing campaign using the Spike air-to-ground missile. This campaign was conducted at the El Arenosillo firing range in Spain, which belongs to the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA). Spain is currently one of two customers for the HAD version of the Tiger: the Spanish armed forces have ordered 24 of these aircraft, and France has ordered 40 HAD version Tigers. For air-to-ground missions, the Spanish helicopters will be equipped with the fiber-optic guided Spike missile developed by the Israeli company Rafael.

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05/09/08: Bell Helicopter names Eric Cardinali President of its Canadian operations; Jacques St-Laurent to oversee European operations

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (September 5, 2008) - Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today that Eric Cardinali has been named president of Bell Helicopter Canada. He replaces Jacques St-Laurent who is moving to a new position as president of Bell Helicopter’s European operations. “Eric’s proven leadership ability, international business acumen, and outstanding performance results make him a perfect strategic fit for the continued success of our Canadian operations,” said Richard Millman, president and CEO of Bell Helicopter. “Moving Eric into this position highlights the value of Textron’s Networked Enterprise, allowing Bell to draw upon the pool of talent across all of Textron. I look forward to the results we are confident he will deliver.”

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04/09/08: Sikorsky Aerospace Services to Support Saudi Arabia’s New MOI Helicopter Fleet

DUBAI, U.A.E., Sept. 4, 2008 – Sikorsky Aerospace Services today announced a five-year contract to provide Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) with an Operations and Maintenance Support Program for the S-92®, S-76®, and S-434™ helicopters purchased by the MOI in 2007. Sikorsky Aerospace Services is the worldwide aftermarket division of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX). The contract is the second of its kind for Sikorsky in Saudi Arabia. During the early 1990s, Sikorsky provided maintenance support services to the Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Command (RSLFAC). During that successful program, Sikorsky assisted the RSLFAC with the initial stand-up operations for its fleet of Desert Hawk S-70 aircraft. “Logistics programs of this type provide customers with tailored solutions to meet their mission requirements while enabling them to transition swiftly into operational capability after receiving our aircraft,” said Jeffrey P. Pino, Sikorsky President.

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03/09/08: San Diego Fire-Rescue Sign for Bell 412 Helicopter

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (September 3, 2008) - Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced the delivery of a 412EP model medium lift helicopter to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, joining “Copter One,” a model 212 Bell helicopter currently operated by the air support division. This new 412 will significantly enhance the citizens of San Diego access to 24 hour, seven days a week emergency response capability. Brian Fennessy, Deputy Fire Chief said, “This is a major milestone in our efforts to ensure that residents have access to immediate and continuous aerial fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services and has been a top priority for the Fire-Rescue Department since the Cedar Fires.”

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03/09/08: SEI of America and Aerolite to provide EMS completions on AgustaWestland Helicopters

PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA – August 29th, 2008 - SEI Servizi Elicotterisitici Italiani SpA, an Italian aerospace company part of the MECAER Group and a leader in helicopter completions and MRO services, and AEROLITE Max Bucher AG, the leading designer and manufacturer of helicopter and fixed wing aircraft Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and interior components solutions, today announced the agreement between their USA based subsidiaries, SEI of America Corp. and AEROLITE AMERICA LLC, for the promotion and marketing of turn key completions to EMS operators of AgustaWestland A109 and AW139 helicopters.

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27/08/08: Sikorsky’s X2 TECHNOLOGY™ Demonstrator Achieves First Flight

HORSEHEADS, N.Y., Aug. 27, 2008 – Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation today successfully completed the first flight of its X2 TECHNOLOGY™ Demonstrator, maneuvering the prototype aircraft through hover, forward flight, and a hover turn, in a test flight that lasted approximately 30 minutes. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX). Sikorsky Chief Test Pilot Kevin Bredenbeck conducted the test flight at Sikorsky’s Schweizer Aircraft Corp. rapid-prototyping facility in Horseheads, N.Y. The milestone culminated more than four years of design, development and testing of the Demonstrator aircraft’s suite of technologies that are intended to advance the state-of-the-art, counter-rotating coaxial rotor helicopter.

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27/08/08: Bavarian Ministry of the Interior purchases eight new EC135 Police Helicopters from Eurocopter

On August 27, the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior announced its decision in Munich to purchase eight new Eurocopter EC135 P2i helicopters for the Bavarian Police Helicopter Squadron. This will enable the squadron to carry out its work using helicopters of the latest generation. Fitted out with state-of-the-art police equipment, the EC135s are slated for delivery between September 2009 and April 2010. The EC135’s police-specific equipment includes a FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) camera, a high-resolution digital day and night vision camera, SatCOM, GPS, a digital map device, Tetra digital radio, the FLARM® collision warning system, a tactical direction finder, a digital flight management system and a GSM telephone. Suitable for operation under IFR (instrument flight rules), the helicopters are fitted with glass cockpits approved for operations with night vision goggles. A rescue hoist, an external load hook system and four rescue winches are also part of the contract. The winches can be installed on each of the eight helicopters as and when required. The contract signed with the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior includes a letter of intent for power-by-the-hour service over a period of at least ten years.

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20/08/08: Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik Break the Around-the-World Speed Record in an AgustaWestland Grand Helicopter

Aviation duo’s remarkable feat accomplished in 11 days, 7 hours and 2 minutes - breaking old record by ALMOST 6 days! On Monday 18th August pilots Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik succeeded in flying around the world in a helicopter in only 11 days 7 hours and 2 minutes - setting a new world speed record. The pilots broke the current record by almost 6 days with an average speed of 74 knots over the entire 11 days including stops, with an average speed of 150 knots while in the air. The record of the flight will be submitted to the National Aeronautic Association for ratification. The achievement involved Kasporwicz’s factory-standard AgustaWestland Grand helicopter covering 18 countries, 24 time zones, 49 states, 78 fuel stops and almost 21,000 nautical miles in less than 12 days. Other accomplishments on this historic flight include a new speed record for New York to London, flying that leg of the trip in just over 40 hours and breaking the old record by 35 hours. The aviation duo arrived back at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Monday morning bringing to a close their “Grand Adventure” around the world.

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13/08/08: New World Speed Record from New York to London set by Kasprowicz and Sheik in AgustaWestland Grand helicopter: Duo breaks former record by 35 hours

During the attempt to break the around the world speed record in an AgustaWestland Grand helicopter – pilots Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik have set a new speed record on the first leg of their trip from New York City to London. This record setting flight covered 3,449 nautical miles and took the crew 40 hours, 41 minutes breaking the current record by over 35 hours. The record of the flight will be submitted to the National Aeronautical Association for ratification. “We are thrilled to have broken this record. It’s been an exhilarating and exhausting first few days,” said Kasprowicz after landing at Redhill, just south of London, early Saturday morning. “We’ve experienced every possible type of weather condition including rain, icing and strong head winds, and through each challenging condition, the helicopter has performed exceptionally. It took a lot of hard work and last minute coordination to make this record happen and we appreciate everyone’s efforts.”

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12/08/08: Bell Helicopter Expands Amarillo Manufacturing To meet Demand for Increased Aircraft Production

AMARILLO, TEXAS (Aug. 11, 2008) – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced a major expansion during ground-breaking ceremonies at its Military Aircraft Assembly Center located at Amarillo’s Rick Husband International Airport. In preparation for a ramp-up in production of both the H-1 helicopter program and the Bell Boeing V-22, an additional 176,000 sq. ft. of floor space will be constructed. This brings the total size of the Bell facility to 1,095,000 sq. ft. under roof. The expansion, scheduled for completion in July 2009, is primarily driven by the Bell Boeing V-22 Multi-Year Production contract signed in March 2008. This contract provides 167 aircraft to the US Marine Corps and Air Force Special Operations Command over a five year period, with an annual option for adding up to five additional aircraft. The new space allotted from the expansion provides room to build the additional aircraft.

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07/08/08: Aviation Record Breaker and Former Communications CEO Scott Kasprowicz departed today seeking to set a new around-the-world speed record in an AgustaWestland Grand helicopter

New York, NY (August 7, 2008) – Pilot Scott Kasprowicz departed New York at approximately 3:00 am Thursday morning in an attempt to set a new speed record for an around-the-world helicopter flight; the goal is to complete the trip in under 14 days. The record setting flight dubbed “The Grand Adventure” is being attempted in Kasprowicz’s twin engine, factory standard, executive configured AgustaWestland Grand helicopter. “In order to succeed in a trip like this, you need an aircraft like the Grand that has above average fuel efficiency and exceptional reliability,” said Kasprowicz who is the former CEO of Texel Corporation. “What will make this record setting flight even more meaningful is the fact that we will make the trip in a factory standard aircraft that has not been specially outfitted or modified for this kind of application.” Unlike previous flights to break the world helicopter speed record, no additional fuel tanks or mission specific modifications have been added to the AgustaWestland Grand aircraft to improve performance.

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07/08/08: Rotorsim signs NH90 simulator and maintenance contracts with Netherlands Ministry of Defence valued at €50 million (C$80 million)

Den Haag, The Netherlands, August 7, 2008 – (NYSE: CGT; TSX: CAE) – Rotorsim, the consortium owned equally by CAE and AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, today announced it has signed contracts with the Netherlands Ministry of Defence to provide comprehensive NH90 helicopter training systems and services. The total value of the contracts is approximately €50 million (C$80 million). As part of the Joint NH90 Training Program (JNTP), Rotorsim will have prime contractor responsibility for providing one NH90 full-mission flight trainer (FMFT) and an NH90 virtual sensor trainer for training rear crew sensor operators. This will be the first NH90 FMFT for the naval variant (NFH – NATO Frigate Helicopter) of the NH90 helicopter, which is designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) missions. Following delivery of the NH90 training devices to the Rotorsim Training Centre in 2011, Rotorsim will then have a multi-year responsibility for operation and maintenance services of the NH90 training systems.

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