The Airbus group inaugurated a research center in Poland
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Helicopters Airbus, headquartered in Marignane, in Seoul on Monday signed a contract worth 1.5 billion euros with the South Korean Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) for the development and manufacture of more than 300 civil and military helicopters.

“This unique agreement in its scope covers the development and manufacture of 214 military helicopters attacked and hundreds of civilian aircraft for the Korean civil and parapublic sectors such as public safety, emergency and rescue, surveillance of power lines, etc., “said Norbert Ducrot, vice president Airbus Helicopters in North Asia.

Civil device called LCH (Light Helicopter Civil) will be developed on the basis of the EC155 B1 (latest version of the Dauphin) and will not require new certification. The CHL also provide the basis for the development by KAI a light military derivative, AHL (Light Armed Helicopter) to be qualified by the Korean Army.

The first deliveries of the CHL LAH in service inputs are provided respectively in 2021 and 2022. The AHL five tonnes unit will be equipped with a gun turret at the front of the camera like its counterparts in the extended class Tigris and Apache.

Airbus estimates the global sales potential of the AHL and CHL has at least 600 units, “which can mean to Airbus Helicopters revenue of several billion euros in the next 20 years,” according to Norbert Ducrot.

This partnership is “really win-win” said the official, since it allows KAI to develop its aviation industry and Airbus to significantly increase its global market share in the helicopter segment medium tonnage. “We have already sold more than 1,000 helicopters from the Dauphin family in the world and thanks to this new cooperation, we expect to double that number in the next 20 years,” he said.

With this contract, Airbus Helicopters will strengthen its presence in South Korea, a country still considered the preserve of the United States. It comes nearly 10 years after the one on 240 military transport aircraft, with KAI already won.

In South Korea, the civil helicopter market, small enough for historical reasons, has to be develop. The country “has however an important military fleet of over 700 helicopters mainly consists of aging American platforms” that must be renewed.