The
Eurocopter Group
is a global helicopter manufacturing
and support company. It is the
largest in the industry in terms of
revenues and turbine helicopter
deliveries. Its head office is
located on the property of
Marseille-Provence International
Airport in Marignane, France, near
Marseille.
Eurocopter's main facilities are at
its headquarters in Marignane, at
Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH in
Donauwörth, Germany and at
Eurocopter España in Albacete,
Spain.
The
Eurocopter Group
was formed in 1992 through the
merger of the helicopter divisions
of Aérospatiale and Daimler-Benz
Aerospace AG (DASA). The company's
heritage traces back to Blériot and
Lioré et Olivier in France and to
Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf in
Germany.
Eurocopter and its predecessor
companies have established a wide
range of helicopter 'firsts',
including the first production
turboshaft-powered helicopter (the
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 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).
As a
consequence of the merger of the
Eurocopter Group's former parents in
2000, the firm is now a wholly owned
subsidiary of EADS. The creation of
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,
Eurocopter has seven plants in its
home nations (Marignane and La
Courneuve in France, Donauwörth,
Ottobrunn and Kassel in Germany, and
Albacete and Madrid in Spain), plus
24 subsidiaries and participates
around the world.
As of
2010, more than 10,500 Eurocopter
helicopters were in service with
over 2,800 customers in 140
countries.
Eurocopter
sold 346 helicopters in 2010 and
delivered 503 helicopters in 2011.
Source:
Wikipedia
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