2006-2010

31 March: The NATO Helicopter Management Agency qualifies the TTH German army variant of the NH90 for the German army. This qualification is a significant step towards the NH90’s entry into service with those armed forces that selected it for their military requirements. The NH90 TGEA variant for the German army includes a few customisations, mainly in the communications.

10 May: The operational debut of combat SAR EC725 helicopters with the French Armed Forces. The French Air Force, the EC725 launch customer, will ultimately operate six of the helicopters – four had already been delivered – for CSAR missions. The French Army will acquire eight EC725s for duties with the special operations squadron; seven had already been received by May.

10 May: Eurocopter receives the American Helicopter Society’s World Record Trophy for the AS350 B3’s Mount Everest landing in 2005. Eurocopter was awarded the American Helicopter Society’s Igor Sikorsky International Trophy in Phoenix, Arizona, for achieving the high-altitude world record for the Mount Everest landing. The Igor Sikorsky International Trophy was created in 1961 by Sikorsky Aircraft and is awarded annually to the company that designed and manufactured a pure helicopter establishing an official record during the preceding calendar year. 

30 June: The US Army selects 322 UH-72A helicopters (a version of the EC145) for its light utility helicopter (LUH) programme. The value of the order is 170 million USD.

11 December: EADS North America officially delivers the first UH-72A light utility helicopter to the US Army, marking the beginning of this major defence programme. The US Army had selected the UH-145 (renamed UH-72A by the Army) in July 2006.

28 March: The new Eurocopter España site in Albacete is inaugurated. The plant was designed to incorporate the highest levels of technology in Europe, with the aim of developing a full cycle and permanent helicopter industry in Spain. The 150,000 square metre site will contain 33,000 square metres of covered production facilities.

20 June: The first “high cabin” version of the NH90 is delivered to the FMV (Swedish Defence Materiel Administration). Sweden signed a contract for 25 NH90s in September 2001, covering 18 firm orders of variants for the tactical transport helicopter (TTH), which includes 13 tactical troop transport (TTT)/search and rescue (SAR) helicopters and five anti-submarine warfare (ASW), plus seven options. These helicopters are equipped with a complete new tactical mission system (TMS) developed by Saab in cooperation with NHIndustries. Of the 18 NH90s, 14 are to be assembled in Finland.
Sweden is the launch customer of the high cabin version (HCV) of the NH90, which features a usable cabin height increased by 24 centimetres, from 1.58 metres in the standard version to 1.82 metres. This variant allows operators and passengers to stand upright in the cabin.

25 September: The “Helicopter by Hermès” is presented to the public at the NBAA trade show in Atlanta. Drawing on a unique blend of talents and skills, ‘l’Hélicoptère par Hermès’ is rooted in a straightforward concept: rise above narrow issues of style versus engineering, and restore the passenger to a position of pre-eminence.

8 October: The US Coast Guard reaches the one million flight-hour milestone with its Eurocopter HH-65 Dauphin fleet. From the helicopter’s first delivery in 1985, HH-65s have become a key element of Coast Guard aviation, with 96 Dauphin currently in the service’s inventory.

18 October: Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Eurocopter reinforce their industrial cooperation through the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The objective of the MoU is to create a joint venture company for the worldwide promotion of the Korean utility helicopter (KUH), an eight metric-tonne class military/utility transport helicopter.

30 January: The EC225 receives its type certification from the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). The harmonised certification procedure between Europe and the United States allowed the FAA to use the work already performed by EASA to speed up its approval process. However, specific points were nevertheless validated by teams from the FAA itself. These teams visited Marignane three times in 2006 and 2007 to assess the helicopter on the ground and in flight. 

6 February: Eurocopter, one of the founding members of the Clean Sky initiative, welcomes the launch of the Clean Sky Program. The objective of this major pan-European research programme is to make air travel more sustainable by encouraging aeronautics manufacturers to develop and produce greener products.

24 June: The EC155 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) demonstrator performs its first official unmanned flight. This is the first time Eurocopter has equipped a certified, qualified and already commercialised five metric-tonne helicopter with the capability to fly autonomously from takeoff to landing. 

23 December: A Eurocopter/Helibras consortium and the Brazilian government sign a contract for 50 EC725s. The helicopters will be operated by Brazil’s armed forces. This is the largest contract ever signed in South America and will provide Brazil with a fleet that is capable of performing an extremely wide range of missions. The new contract will double the production capacity and the number of staff at the Itajuba plant, where the EC725 helicopters will be manufactured, assembled and undergo maintenance support activities after delivery.

17 June: Delivery of the 900^th Dauphin, which is also the 100^th EC155. The twin-engine SA365 C Dauphin equipped with two 650 hp Arriel engines made its first flight on 23 January 1975. The EC155, an upgraded version of the Dauphin, provides 40 percent more cabin space. It made its first flight on 17 June 1997.    

30 June: The Tiger HAD version, equipped with two MTR390 “enhanced” (MTR390-E) engines, performs its first flight. The HAD version of the Tiger increases its multi-role capabilities – and its power as well – with the installation of the MTR390-E engine. Developed specifically for the Tiger by the MTRI consortium, the MTR390-E offers a takeoff rating with 14 percent more power compared with the MTR390-2C installed on the Tiger HAP, UHT and ARH helicopters. The new engines will also boost the helicopter’s maximum takeoff weight to 6.6 metric tonnes.

10 July: As part of the Korean Helicopter Programme (KHP), the dynamic test vehicle (DTV) performs its first flight in Marignane. It represents the completed vehicle, with General Electric engines, cowlings manufactured by KAI and Eurocopter dynamic components.
The KHP was launched by Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) to develop the KUH, a medium-sized military transport helicopter. KAI directs the programme, while Eurocopter supplies technical support for the helicopter’s development, and manufactures certain subassemblies (i.e. automatic pilots, gearboxes, rotor shafts, etc.).

17 November: “Step A” qualification is obtained for the naval version of the NH90 for France.

4 March: Delivery of the 100th UH-72A Lakota to the US Army. On 30 June 2006, the US Army selected the UH-72A helicopter (a version of the EC145) for the LUH (light utility helicopter) programme. The US Army plans to acquire 345 Lakotas through 2016, and had ordered 182 of the helicopters so far, along with five UH-72A versions for the US Navy. Aircraft already delivered to the Army are used in missions that include medical evacuation (medevac), search and rescue, drug interdiction, VIP transport and support.  The Navy’s five UH-72A versions are utilised by the US Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland, for the training of test pilots from the US military and allied countries.

May: The “Mercedes-Benz Style” EC145 is unveiled at the EBACE air show in Geneva. Three cabin layouts are offered, with seats for eight, six, or four passengers. In each case, customers have a wide choice of materials and colours for walls, floors, ceilings and seats, as well as three basic external paint colors.

25 June: The new generation EC145 T2 performs its first flight. The EC145 T2 was developed based on a proven concept, allowing it to benefit from the many advantages offered by the EC145: an impressive payload, long range, and a spacious, multi-purpose cabin with rear and side access. Flight safety is also ensured by a standard 4-axis autopilot and modern avionics. The dual AFCS significantly reduces the pilot’s workload, particularly in difficult weather or mission conditions. The AFCS is coupled with a satellite navigation system (WAAS/EGNOS), allowing the helicopter to perform high-precision landings in complete safety in any location. Another major innovation is the tail boom featuring the Fenestron tail rotor.

6 September: First flight of the demonstrator for the X3, a high-speed hybrid helicopter. Eurocopter developed the H3 concept (High-speed, long-range, Hybrid Helicopter), a new type of aircraft that can perform vertical takeoffs and landings and obtain cruising speeds of approximately 220 kts. The aircraft will offer the efficiency of a turboprop engine and the excellent hover flight capabilities of a helicopter. In addition to high speeds, the H3 project focuses on the overall cost of the machine, which must remain affordable. This concept not only saves mission time but also reduces mission costs.