Helicopter Makers Bullish on Long-term Outlook

By: Mark Huber and Jennifer Harrington

February 23, 2009
Rotorcraft

Executives at two of the world’s largest helicopter makers insisted at Heli-Expo that the industry can continue to flourish even in the face of a severe economic downturn. Saying the civil rotorcraft market is likely to suffer less from the economic downturn than the business jet market, AgustaWestland CEO Giuseppe Orsi pointed to a $13 billion order backlog for his company and insisted the industry as a whole is “in good shape.

Eurocopter CEO Lutz Bertling yesterday echoed that feeling, adding that continued strong sales of military helicopters such as the U.S. Army UH-72A (based on Eurocopter’s EC 145) will keep order backlogs high. Bertling revealed Eurocopter has an $18 billion order book that accounts for 1,500 helicopters.

Orsi, meanwhile, said he is confident the Obama Administration will green light the VH-71 presidential helicopter, costs for which have nearly doubled to $11 billion. The VH-71 is a shared program between AgustaWestland and Lockheed Martin.

Back

Eurocopter Profitable Despite Economic Turbulence March 16, 2010 Helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter stayed in the black last year, with €263 million ($360 million) in pre-tax earnings, according to financial... [more]
Korea’s Surion Helicopter Flies March 15, 2010 Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) flew the prototype of its Surion utility helicopter for the first time on March 10. Flown by two pilots and... [more]
AgustaWestland’s Revenues Up, but Orders Down March 09, 2010 AgustaWestland parent company Finmeccanica on Friday disclosed its 2009 results, showing increased deliveries but slashed orders for the... [more]
Evergreen supports UAV team mapping Haitian Relief March 01, 2010 Evergreen Helicopters is flying in unmanned systems teams using an Elbit Systems Skylark I mini man-pack UAV to map Haitian relief. The small... [more]
Eclectic fleet powers Samaritan’s Purse in Haiti March 01, 2010 International relief organization Samaritan’s Purse is using an eclectic fleet of its own, borrowed and chartered aircraft to respond to the... [more]