EADS to Co-develop EC175 Helicopter With China

EC175 concept(click to view full) EADS Eurocopter has signed a cooperation agreement covering the development of a new 16-seat EC175 helicopter, following a year of intense negotiations to detail and develop the general principles laid down in the Agreement signed in October 2004 during President Chirac’s official visit to China. The five-year development phase will be kicked off early in 2006. The new ‘civil’ helicopter is due to make its first flight in 2009, with European and Chinese certification set for 2011, the year in which production is due to start. The forecasts for the new machine are ambitious. Z-9 w. Special Forces(click to view full) The EC175 to be developed by Eurocopter and Chinese firm AVIC II will feature the very latest technological advances in the cockpit and avionics, along with a 5-bladed main rotor that uses the same Spheriflex technology as the EC120 and a high energy absorbing airframe. The EC175 will be certified for two-pilot IFR and single-pilot VFR operations when carrying up to 16 passengers, with a radius of action of 200 nautical miles at a speed of 280 km/h. Eurocopter and AVIC II will each invest EUR 300 million to develop the new EC175 helicopter. […]