Eurocopter

The Eurocopter Group is a global helicopter manufacturing and support company. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries. Its head office is located on the property of Marseille-Provence International Airport in Marignane, France, near Marseille. Eurocopter's main facilities are at its headquarters in Marignane in France, at Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH in Donauwörth, Germany and at Eurocopter España in Albacete, Spain. As of 1 January 2014 the company will be rebranded Airbus Helicopters.

History
The Eurocopter Group was formed in 1992 through the merger of the helicopter divisions of Aérospatiale and Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG (DASA). The company's heritage traces back to Blériot and Lioré et Olivier in France and to Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf in Germany.

Eurocopter and its predecessor companies have established a wide range of helicopter 'firsts', including the first production turboshaft-powered helicopter (the Alouette II of 1955); the introduction of the Fenestron shrouded tail rotor (on the Gazelle of 1968);  the first helicopter certified for full flight in icing conditions (the AS332 Super Puma, in 1984);  the first production helicopter with a Fly-by-Wire control system (the NH90, first flown in full FBW mode in 2003);  the first helicopter to use a Fly-by-Light primary control system (an EC135 testbed, first flown in 2003);  and the first ever landing of a helicopter on Mt. Everest (achieved by an AS350 B3 in 2005).

As a consequence of the merger of the Eurocopter Group's former parents in 2000, the firm is now a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS. The creation of EADS in 2000 also incorporated CASA of Spain, which itself had a history of helicopter-related activities dating back to Talleres Loring, including local assembly of the Bo105.

Today, Eurocopter has six plants in the European Union (Marignane and La Courneuve in France, Donauwörth, Ottobrunn and Kassel in Germany, and Albacete in Spain), plus 30 subsidiaries and participants around the world.

As of 2010, more than 10,500 Eurocopter helicopters were in service with over 2,800 customers in 140 countries.

Eurocopter sold 346 helicopters in 2010 and delivered 503 helicopters in 2011.

Products

 * AS332 Super Puma - medium-sized twin-engined transport/utility helicopter
 * AS350 Ecureuil/AStar - light single-engine utility helicopter
 * AS355 Ecureuil 2/TwinStar - light twin-engine utility helicopter
 * AS365 Dauphin - medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter
 * AS532 Cougar - twin-engined, medium-weight, multipurpose helicopter
 * Eurocopter Canada - MBB Bo 105 - twin-engined, medium-weight, multipurpose helicopter
 * AS550 Fennec & AS555 Fennec 2 - single- and twin-engined, light-weight, multipurpose helicopters
 * AS565 Panther - military medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter
 * EC120 Colibri (with Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation) - 5-seat, single-engine, single main rotor, light helicopter
 * EC130 - light single-engine 'wide-body' helicopter
 * EC135 - light twin-engine civil helicopter
 * EC145 - twin-engine intermediate utility helicopter
 * EC155 - long-range medium-lift passenger transport helicopter
 * EC175 - medium-sized twin-engined transport/utility helicopter
 * EC225 Super Puma - long-range passenger transport helicopter
 * EC635 - military light multi-purpose helicopter
 * EC665 Tiger - dedicated military attack helicopter
 * EC725 Cougar - long-range tactical transport helicopter
 * HH/MH-65C Dolphin - medium-sized search & rescue and drug interdiction helicopter
 * NH90 - medium-sized, twin-engine, multi-role military, fly-by-wire helicopter (via 62.5% share in NHI joint venture)
 * Surion - medium-sized twin-engined transport/utility helicopter developed in cooperation with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)
 * UH-72 Lakota - light utility helicopter in operation with the U.S. Army and Navy
 * X3 rotorcraft - helicopter with two forward propellers to increase speed, having high speed and full hover vertical takeoff capability.

Note: On Eurocopter helicopters designed in France, the main rotor turns clockwise when viewed from above, in common with rotorcraft deriving from Russia. Eurocopter products developed in Germany have a main rotor which turns counter-clockwise when viewed from above, in common with American rotorcraft.