KUALA LUMPUR: Eurocopter expects to sell 800 units of its EC175 helicopter over the next 20 years.To date, a total of 114 EC175s have already been ordered by 14 different customers, the company said in a statement yesterday.
The latest helicopter in the Eurocopter range of seven-metric-ton class, the EC175 took to the skies yesterday for its maiden flight above Marignane, France.
The helicopter is expected to gain the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)’s certification by 2011 and the first deliveries are scheduled to follow in 2012.
“The helicopter sales is also going to create nearly 2000 new direct and indirect jobs,” Eurocopter chief executive officer Lutz Bertling said.
The helicopter has been developed and manu-factured in cooperation with the China Aeronautics Industries Group Corp (AVIC), a long standing Eurocopter partner.
The new helicopter also has a multi-role design and can carry out a wide scope of civil missions. — Bernama