Airbus Helicopters Explained

Airbus Helicopters SAS
Type:	Operating Division
Industry:	Aerospace
Location:	Marseille Provence Airport Marignane, France
Key People:	Bruno Even (CEO)^[1]
Products:	Helicopters
Revenue:	€6.5 billion (2021)^[2]
Operating Income:	€535 million (2021)
Num Employees:	20,126 (2021)
Parent:	Airbus
Subsid:	Subsidiaries

Airbus Helicopters SAS (formerly Eurocopter Group) is the helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus. 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.^[3] The main facilities of Airbus Helicopters are at its headquarters in Marignane, France, and in Donauwörth, Germany, with additional production plants in Canada, Brazil (Helibras), Australia, Spain, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States. The company, originally named Eurocopter, was rebranded Airbus Helicopters on 2 January 2014.^[4]

History

See also: History of Airbus. Airbus Helicopters was formed in 1992 as Eurocopter Group, through the merger of the helicopter divisions of Aérospatiale and DASA. The company's heritage traces back to Blériot and Lioré et Olivier in France and to Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf in Germany.^[5]

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 Mount Everest (achieved by an AS350 B3 in 2005).^{[6] [7] [8]}

As a consequence of the merger of Airbus Helicopters' former parents in 2000, the firm is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus. 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.

Today, Airbus Helicopters has four main plants in Europe (Marignane and La Courneuve in France, and Donauwörth and Kassel in Germany), plus 32 subsidiaries and participants around the world, including those in Fort Erie Canada, Brisbane, Australia, Albacete, Spain and Grand Prairie, USA.^{[9] [10]}

Since approximately 2006, Eurocopter has been involved in the planning for the proposed pan-European Future Transport Helicopter project.^[11]

As of 2014, more than 12,000 Airbus Helicopters were in service with over 3,000 customers in around 150 countries.^[12] Eurocopter became Airbus Helicopter at the start of 2014.^[13]

Eurocopter sold 422 helicopters in 2013 and delivered 497 helicopters that year.^[14] In 2014, AH built a concrete cylinder for testing helicopters before first flight.^[15]

In December 2022, it was announced Airbus Helicopters has acquired the Kassel-Calden-headquartered gearbox and component supplier, ZF Luftfahrttechnik from ZF Friedrichshafen for an undisclosed amount. The business will be rebranded as Airbus Helicopters Technik.^[16]

In May 2024, Airbus Helicopters signed a MoU with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to finance civil helicopter purchases in India.^{[17] [18]}

Historical emblems

Historical emblems of the company:

Products

Some of the helicopters were renamed in 2015, resembling Airbus airplane naming.^[19] When the division changed its name from Eurocopter Group to Airbus Helicopters in 2014 the trade names of the products were changed (applied by 1 January 2016) to reflect this. Suffixes, as well as the differentiation for single or twin engines, were no longer to be used. Military versions were to be symbolized by the letter M. The only exceptions to this new branding were the AS365, the AS565, the Tiger and the NH90, which will keep their current names.^[20]

!Name!Type!Thumbnail!Introduced!MTOW
t (lb)

H125	Light single-engine		1975	2.25t
H130	Light single-engine		2001	2.5t
H135	Light twin-engine		1996	2.98t
H145	Light twin-engine		2002	3.7t
H155	Medium twin-engine		1999	4.92t
H160	Medium twin-engine		2019	6.05t
H175	Super medium twin-engine		2014	7.8t
H215	Heavy twin-engine		1980	9.15t
H225	Heavy twin-engine		2004	11.2t
NH90	Military utility twin-engine		2006	10.6t
Tiger	Military attack twin-engine		2003	6.6t

Projects

• X³ rotorcraft – hybrid helicopter with two forward propellers, which achieved a 255-knot speed milestone in level flight in June 2011.^[21]
• Airbus Helicopters X6 – Two year concept study into the possible launch of an 11.5t helicopter to replace the H225.^{[22] [23]}
• Airbus RACER, experimental high-speed compound helicopter developed from the X³, targeting a 2020 first flight.
• Airbus CityAirbus, electrically powered VTOL aircraft demonstrator, intended for an air taxi role.

See also

Comparable major helicopter manufacturers:

• Leonardo
• Bell Helicopter
• Boeing Rotorcraft Systems
• MD Helicopters
• Russian Helicopters
• Sikorsky Aircraft

References

Note

External links

• • Airbus Corporate Helicopters

Notes and References

1. Bruno Even Appointed CEO of Airbus Helicopters. 14 February 2018. airbus.com.
2. Web site: 2021 Financial Statements . https://web.archive.org/web/20220418085151/https://www.airbus.com/sites/g/files/jlcbta136/files/2022-03/AIRBUS%20FY2021%20FINANCIAL%20STATEMENTS%20DS.pdf . 2022-04-18 . July 29, 2022 . Airbus IR . 25, 46 . en .
3. "Legal Notice and Disclaimer ." Airbus Helicopters. Retrieved on 24 January 2014. "[...]whose registered Office is located Aéroport International Marseille-Provence – 13725 Marignane Cedex – France"
4. Web site: Eurocopter To Be Renamed Airbus Helicopter . Sheppard . Ian. 2013-08-01 . AINonline . AIN Publications . 2019-09-19 .
5. Web site: Airbus Helicopters history. https://archive.today/20140114082556/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/ref/History_24.html. dead. 14 January 2014.
6. Web site: Landing on Air . . 1 September 2005 . 24 June 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090802071837/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0509/whats_new/helicopter_everest.html . 2 August 2009 .
7. Web site: Everest 2005: The Helicopter land on Everest with video: But it is good?. https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120224042457/http://www.everestnews.com/stories2005/everestcopter05272005.htm. dead. 24 February 2012. wayback.archive-it.org. 2 April 2018.
8. Web site: French Everest Mystery Chopper's Utopia summit. MountEverest.net. 27 May 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20150113192323/http://www.mounteverest.net/story/FrenchEverestMysteryChoppersUtopiasummit-VIDEOMay272005.shtml. 13 January 2015. dead.
9. Web site: Airbus Helicopters – Spain. https://web.archive.org/web/20140116083723/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/ref/Airbus-Helicopter-Network-on-interactive-map_1290.html?countryISO2=ES. dead. 16 January 2014.
10. Web site: Airbus Helicopters – Interactive Network Map. https://web.archive.org/web/20140115052008/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/ref/Airbus-Helicopter-Network-on-interactive-map_1290.html. dead. 15 January 2014.
11. News: Rüstung: EU beschließt Bau von Helikopter. 2018-01-23. de. 16 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220416204528/https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/ruestung-eu-beschliesst-bau-von-helikopter/3180012.html. dead.
12. Web site: Airbus Helicopters – Who We are. https://web.archive.org/web/20140114054045/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/ref/Who-We-Are_23-2.html. dead. 14 January 2014.
13. Web site: Airbus Helicopters takes off (2012-2017). 2024-04-19. Airbus.
14. Web site: Airbus Helicopters aims high with new branding and a strategic transformation. https://web.archive.org/web/20140203011704/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/press/Airbus-Helicopters-aims-high-with-new-branding-and-a-strategic-transformation_1106.html. dead. 3 February 2014.
15. Web site: New dynamic testing method at Airbus brings helicopters to market quickly. Helihub . 24 July 2015. 2 April 2018.
16. News: Perry . Dominic . January 3, 2023 . Airbus completes acquisition of gearbox supplier ZF Luftfahrttechnik . FlightGlobal . January 3, 2023.
17. Web site: SIDBI Takes Flight: Signs MoU with Airbus Helicopters to Finance Civil Aviation in India . Bru Times News . en.
18. Web site: Airbus Helicopters and SIDBI sign an MoU for helicopter financing in India . The Times of India . 24 May 2024.
19. News: Airbus renames fleet . 36 . Vertical Magazine . April 2015 . 11 April 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150419023150/http://www.verticalmag.com/digital_issue/2015/v14i2/files/40.html . 19 April 2015 .
20. Web site: March 2015 . History is written with an HI160 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080217/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/w1/jrotor/100/sources/projet/pdfs/page7.pdf . 2015-05-18 . 2023-05-05 . www.airbushelicopters.com.
21. Web site: Eurocopter's X3 hybrid helicopter makes aviation history in achieving a speed milestone of 255 knots during level flight. https://web.archive.org/web/20140527212324/http://www.airbushelicopters.com/site/en/press/Eurocopter-s-X3-hybrid-helicopter-makes-aviation-history-in-achieving-a-speed-milestone-of-255-knots-during-level-flight_1046.html. dead. 27 May 2014.
22. Web site: PARIS: Airbus Helicopters launches X6 concept phase. 16 June 2015.
23. Web site: Airbus Helicopters launches X6 concept phase, setting the standard for the future in heavy-lift rotorcraft. www.airbushelicopters.com. 2016-07-08. 16 March 2015.