DTN News: Eurocopter Hands Over EC145 Stylence Helicopter To ‘Spedition & Helicopterservice Linke GmbH’ From Germany

DTN News: Eurocopter Hands Over EC145 Stylence Helicopter To ‘Spedition & Helicopterservice Linke GmbH’ From Germany

Source: DTN News / EADS Dt. June 10, 2010

(NSI News Source Info) BERLIN, Germany - June 14, 2010: The VIP-configured EC145 Stylence helicopter which is presented in the ILA HeliCenter Static Display was handed over to ‘Spedition & Helicopterservice Linke GmbH’, a Northern Germany-based logistic company, on June 10th, 2010. The customer will use its new EC145 Stylence mainly for corporate transport missions as well as for helicopter trainings.

At the Berlin Air Show, Eurocopter Germany delivers the EC145 Stylence in Germany to the ‘Spedition & Helicopterservice Linke GmbH” from Wanzleben. The new aircraft is one if the first of its kind in Germany and will transport mainly VIP passengers all over the country.

"The helicopter offers an enormous advantage to corporate customers as it saves them precious time," said Dr. Wolfgang Schoder, CEO at Eurocopter Germany. "What's more, the EC145 Stylence can carry eight passengers along with the two pilots. With the enhanced comfort and cabin size offered by this configuration, in-flight meetings can be held."

The EC145 Stylence that will be delivered to the ‘Spedition & Helicopterservices Linke GmbH’ in Germany offers passengers excellent flight visibility and has sophisticated equipment packages. The helicopter is equipped for single /dual pilot instrument flight rules (IFR) with an automatic flight control system (AFCS), a cockpit voice and flight data recorder (CVFDR), a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) and a navigation system, a so called moving map system. Furthermore the configuration includes fixed provisions for weather radar, rescue winch and an external load hook. The EC145 also offers simplified maintenance and impressive flight endurance (up to 680 km). It merges ergonomics and advanced technology to provide fully-equipped in-flight offices for business executives and companies.

"We are very pleased to be one of the first companies in Germany to receive an EC145 Stylence from Eurocopter. This helicopter combines design with state-of-the-art technology, perfectly developed for the needs of VIPs and business people,“ said Detlef Linke, general manager of the ‚Spedition & Helicopterservice Linke GmbH“ during the delivery ceremony.

The EC Stylence family - A combination of Style and Silence

The latest addition to Eurocopter’s Stylence family, the EC145 merges ergonomics and advanced technology to provide fully-equipped in-flight offices for business executives and companies. If further optional equipment is integrated, business executives can thus work in peace and quiet whilst having access to all telecommunication means such as built-in telephones, internet and e-mails.

After the presentation of the first EC130 Stylence in 2003, the EC145 is the 5th Eurocopter helicopter to enter the Stylence series following the EC120, EC130, AS350 B2 / B3 and the AS 355 NP. Since its recent introduction on the market, five EC145 Stylences have been sold throughout the world. About Eurocopter Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approx. 15,600 people. In 2009, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer in the civil and parapublic market, with a turnover of 4.6 billion Euros, orders for 344 new helicopters, and a 52 percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s products account for 30 percent of the total world helicopter fleet. Its strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 18 subsidiaries on five continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and maintenance centres. More than 10,500 Eurocopter helicopters are currently in service with over 2,800 customers in more than 140 countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world.

DTN News: Eurofighter Woos Buyers For 10 Billion Euro Order

DTN News: Eurofighter Woos Buyers For 10 Billion Euro Order

* Defence consortium makes offer for final 124 planes * Says needs decision in a year to avoid production gap

* Sources peg value of offer at 10 bln euros

* Brazil fighter competition seen running out of steam

Source: DTN News / Reuters By Tim Hepher Wed Jun 9, 2010 1:09pm EDT

(NSI News Source Info) BERLIN, Germany - June 10, 2010: Defence firms have moved to kickstart negotiations over the Eurofighter Typhoon by asking Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain to invest an estimated 10 billion euros ($13.42 billion) in the next wave of jet fighter production. A spokesman for a consortium of BAE Systems (BAES.L), EADS (EAD.PA) and Finmeccanica (SIFI.MI) told Reuters it had submitted an offer at the end of May -- a move that analysts say could trigger a tug of war over dwindling defence budgets during a European sovereign debt crisis. The spokesman declined to disclose the value of the offer, which covers 124 planes, but defence industry sources at the Berlin Air Show said it was around 10 billion euros. Eurofighter says a decision on whether to build the planes would be needed within a year in order to avoid a production gap it believes would be damaging for exports and hit jobs. The climate for talks is difficult, however, after Germany announced tough defence cuts and Britain promised to defer any major spending decisions until after a strategic defence review. Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain have so far taken delivery of a combined 222 Eurofighter Typhoons out of the 620 they originally ordered. The original order spanned three separate tranches. But the third and final production run of 236 planes had to be split up last year when buyers could only agree to purchase 112 aircraft. Any decision to cancel the rest is likely to trigger calls for compensation as well as intensive lobbying over the fate of 100,000 jobs tied up directly or indirectly in the project. Besides domestic contracts, Saudi Arabia has ordered 70 of the planes and 15 have been sold to Austria. The Typhoon is competing in a number of contests against rival models such as the French Rafale (AVMD.PA), Swedish Gripen SAAB.ST or Boeing's F-18 (BA.N). Switzerland has renewed interest in updating its fighter fleet after suspending a competition last year and could make a decision later in 2010, air show delegates said. Other nearby countries showing interest in deals or evaluating their positions include Serbia, Romania and Turkey. Middle East and Asian demand has been strong as countries face new threats or pressure to renew ageing fleets. But Brazil, actively courted by France as the first foreign buyer for its Dassault-built Rafale, has so far delayed a decision and may have to postpone until after Oct. 3 elections. "We are worried; nothing is happening at the moment," a French industrial source said of the competition, in which Eurofighter is not represented. ($1=.7453 Euro)

(Additional reporting by Matthias Blamont in Paris; editing by Simon Jessop)

DTN News: Airbus Orders Boost Berlin Air Show Profile

DTN News: Airbus Orders Boost Berlin Air Show Profile

Source: DTN News / Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) BERLIN/HELSINKI, - June 10, 2010: Airbus (EAD.PA) announced two more orders at the Berlin Air Show on Thursday, bringing its tally for the week to 67 aircraft orders including a record deal with Emirates for 32 A380 superjumbos. The biennial Berlin show does not usually see major orders, with airlines traditionally preferring to make announcements at larger air shows such as Farnborough in England and Le Bourget in France, which take place on alternate years in July. This year's show, just over a month before Farnborough, had opened with a splash on Tuesday as EADS' Airbus unit announced $14 billion in new orders, including the record $11 billion A380 order for the Arab world's largest airline. "Of course I want that (the Berlin Air Show) gets a boost. I was very happy that we could sign the contract with Emirates here in Berlin, in the presence of (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel," Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders told reporters on the sidelines of the event at the German capital's Schoenefeld airport on Thursday. Before this year's show, the biggest order ever announced at the Berlin Air Show had been a 3.2 billion euro ($3.9 billion) order for 35 Airbus aircraft by Gulf Air [GULF.UL] in 2008. Merkel had opened the show on Tuesday, just as she was coming under fire from airline executives gathered for the global airline industry body's annual meeting elsewhere in the city for a proposed air travel tax. Announcing its final orders agreed at the Berlin Air Show, Airbus said on Thursday Finnish airline Finnair (FIA1S.HE) and Berlin-based Germania had agreed to buy five aircraft each. Finnair signed a letter of intent to order five new A321ER aircraft worth more than 400 million euros that will replace Boeing 757s (BA.N) used for leisure flights. The airline is the first to order A321s with "Sharklet" wing tip devices that Airbus said would cut the planes' fuel consumption by 4 percent. Fuel is one of an airline's biggest cost factors, alongside staffing. Germania signed a memorandum of understanding to buy five Airbus A319s, with a total list price of $372 million. Germania Chief Commercial Officer John Kohlsaat said in a news conference at the air show that the orders would become firm within a few days. At its meeting earlier this week, the International Air Transport Association gave a surprise forecast for a 2010 profit of $2.5 billion for the airline industry, fanning hopes the global industry would recover more quickly than expected, boosting demand for air travel and airplanes. ($1=.8307 Euro)

(Reporting by Terhi Kinnunen in Helsinki and Maria Sheahan in Berlin; Editing by Hans Peters and Simon Jessop)

DTN News: France, Germany Will Work Together According To EADS

DTN News: France, Germany Will Work Together According To EADS

* Gallois not pessimistic about Franco-German dialogue

* CEO says euro not weak, at reasonable level

Source: DTN News / Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) BERLIN, Germany - June 9, 2010: The head of Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA) dampened fears of a Franco-German rift over the European debt crisis on Wednesday, saying the euro zone's largest economies knew they had to work together. "I don't think that France and Germany are diverging. Certainly they could have different opinions but both of them know they have no other choice but to work together," EADS Chief Executive Louis Gallois told a news conference. Relations between Germany and France have frayed during the European debt crisis, with the two countries presenting different visions of how to overcome the problems that are battering many euro zone nations. EADS was created 10 years ago from a merger of key interests between France and Germany, followed by Spain. Despite efforts to run EADS as a normal company, it is often seen as a sensitive barometer of touch-and-go relations between Paris and Berlin. "I am not truly pessimistic on the Franco-German dialogue. On a lot of topics they could diverge but at the end of the day they have to find common solutions. If not there is no longer Europe, we know that,"Gallois said. "On a lot of issues Europe goes to the end of the cliff; they find solutions when they are at the end of the cliff," the veteran industrialist and former French civil servant said. France wants to create an "economic government" for the euro zone, with regular summits of the 16 leaders and a dedicated secretariat, to coordinate economic policy. Germany is unconvinced and is banging the drum for greater budget austerity. Gallois said the euro, down 16 percent to $1.19 EUR= this year, was "not weak but at a reasonable value". Gallois was speaking at the Berlin air show which opened with a splash on Tuesday as Airbus announced $14 billion in new orders including another 32 superjumbo A380's for the Arab world's largest airline, Dubai's Emirates. Gallois said recent industrial problems on the Airbus A380 had been brought under control and that the company had enough cash for "reasonable" sized acquisitions in defence services or security in the United States despite the weakening of the euro. He said talks to finalise a recent seven-nation funding accord to prop up the delayed A400M troop carrier would probably miss an end-June deadline but would be successfully completed.

DTN News: Airbus Military Plane A400M Ready To Make Debut Public Flight

DTN News: Airbus Military Plane A400M Ready To Make Debut Public Flight

Source: DTN News / Int'l Media By Rob Buckland on Jun 7th, 2010

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 8, 2010: Airbus’s first military transport aircraft, the A400M, is expected to make its debut public flight tomorrow, two years and up to £10billion behind schedule. The giant aircraft is scheduled to take to the skies at the Berlin Air Show, which opens tomorrow, watched by anxious Airbus Military executives keen to put a turbulent 24 months behind them and look ahead to the A400M entering service with European airforces as well as achieving significant export orders. The success – or otherwise – of the A400M will have a significant impact on Bristol’s aerospace industry. Airbus’s giant Filton plant is building the wings for the plane while at Rolls-Royce’s neighbouring Patchway plant, engineers are working on the all-new TP400 engine. Airbus launched the A400M project in 2003 with an order for 180 planes from seven European countries including the UK. However, these countries – which need the aircraft to replace ageing transporters such as the RAF’s Hercules fleet – will not receive their aircraft before the end of 2012 due to a raft of technical hitches. Pressure on military budgets across Europe could also mean some countries trimming their orders – the UK has already confirmed it will reduce its 25-strong commitment by up to three. On the brighter side, Airbus says it has identified up to 500 export orders for the A400M from international military customers with one senior executive claiming top brass from two air forces have visited the A400M HQ in Spain over the past few weeks. However, so far only Malaysia has committed to buy the aircraft and will receive four. South Africa cancelled its eight-strong order last December, just weeks before prototype aircraft MSN001 made its first private flight. While government deficits worldwide are likely to hold back spending on new military aircraft, the commercial aerospace sector appears to be bouncing back from a long period in the doldrums due to a combination of global recession, terror alerts and, most recently, the Icelandic volcanic cloud. Airline boses gathering in Berlin are upbeat – a confidence that aerospace firms hope will result in them committing to buy new aircraft. Airbus’s A380 superjumbo – another aircraft whose success is vital to Bristol – will also be in the shop window with demonstration flights at Berlin. Airbus expects to announce some orders from airlines at the air show this week.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com