DTN News - SOFEX 2012 NEWS: Eurocopter’s Extensive Military Helicopter Presence In The Arab world Is Showcased By Its High-Profile Participation At Jordan’s SOFEX Exhibition

DTN News - SOFEX 2012 NEWS: Eurocopter’s Extensive Military Helicopter Presence In The Arab world Is Showcased By Its High-Profile Participation At Jordan’s SOFEX Exhibition
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Eurocopter / EADS
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 5, 2012: Eurocopter’s dedication to meeting the operational requirements of governments, armed forces and special mission operators across the Arab world with its broad helicopter product line will be highlighted at Jordan’s Special Operations Forces Exhibition & Conference (SOFEX).

This biennial event – organized May 7-10 at the King Abdullah I Airbase in Amman – will feature the presence of a Eurocopter EC635 utilized by the Royal Jordanian Air Force in law enforcement operations, along with a Royal Jordanian Air Force AS350 B3 that provides utility services. Eurocopter’s exhibit located in front of Chalet CD8 is to include scale models of the company’s AS565 Panther and AS550 Fennec rotorcraft.

“With an extensive footprint in Arab nations – and the company’s commitment to providing top-level support – Eurocopter looks forward to continuing its role as a preferred helicopter supplier for the full spectrum of military and civilian use,” said Olivier Lambert, Eurocopter’s Senior Vice President for Sales and Customer Relations. “Designed and equipped with the latest technology, our helicopters are able to perform their missions in the most severe operational environments and demanding situations.”

More than 650 Eurocopter helicopters currently are flying across the Middle East and through the Arabian Gulf – with over 80 percent in military use to support missions ranging from combat, transport, search and rescue (SAR) to counter-terrorism, special operations and training.

New business opportunities for Eurocopter include the evolving needs in air coverage for security, border patrol and support missions; the expanded civilian operations resulting from an opening of airspace that had been reserved for the military in numerous countries; and the overall renewal of aging rotary-wing aircraft fleets.

Jordan has operated the company’s rotorcraft for more than 30 years. In addition to AS332 Super Pumas used for troop transport and search & rescue, the Royal Jordanian Air Force’s current Eurocopter fleet also incorporates AS350s for pilot training and VIP airlift, along with EC635s for multi-mission duties. In addition, the Jordan Public Security Air Wing operates EC635s and BO105s.

Eurocopter’s display of the AS565 Panther in scale model form at SOFEX underscores this helicopter’s attributes of speed and maneuverability for security and defense missions, with its operational credentials further enhanced by the twin-engine helicopter’s endurance, range and capabilities in overwater surveillance, tracking and search & rescue. The AS565 has been proven in Middle East operations for the protection of coastlines and surveillance of offshore economic zones with countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

The AS550 Fennec, which also is present at SOFEX as a scale model, meets the Arab world’s requirements for a highly-capable multi-role military helicopter, and is well suited for extremely hot climates and high altitudes. Applications include combat missions, fire support, observation, protection and training. More than 4,850 helicopters from Eurocopter’s Ecureuil/Fennec family have been delivered in single-engine and twin-engine versions to over 90 countries, which include such customers as the United Arab Emirates’ armed forces and the Royal Flight of Oman.

With the concentration of Eurocopter helicopters in the Arab world, the company has focused on deploying resources to ensure the highest levels of maintenance, overhaul and support for its helicopters in the region. This includes a maintenance contract covering the G-level major inspections for Royal Jordanian Air Force Super Puma AS332 M1s, which are performed every 12 years.

Eurocopter also has a maintenance center in the United Arab Emirates with long-standing partner Falcon Aviation Services, which provides full maintenance and revision services – reinforcing the company’s customer support network in the region and supplementing Eurocopter’s platform in Abu Dhabi.

Another element in Eurocopter’s local presence strategy is its agreement with Global Aerospace Logistics, LLC, establishing this Abu Dhabi-based supplier of professional aerospace services in the United Arab Emirates as a provider of routine customer support services for the UAE Navy and UAE Presidential Guard Command – including new spare parts, repairs, training and technical publications.

About Eurocopter

Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace and defense-related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approximately 20,000 people. In 2011, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s number one helicopter manufacturer with a turnover of 5.4 billion Euros, orders for 457 new helicopters and a 43 percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s helicopters account for 33 percent of the worldwide civil and parapublic fleet. Eurocopter’s strong international presence is ensured by its subsidiaries and participations in 21 countries. Eurocopter’s worldwide network of service centers, training facilities, distributors and certified agents supports some 2,900 customers. There currently are more than 11,300 Eurocopter helicopters in service in 149 countries. Eurocopter offers the most comprehensive civil and military helicopter range in the world and is fully committed to safety as the most important aspect of its business.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Eurocopter / EADS
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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Iraq Buying Dozens Of Military Choppers From US, EU / Iraq Signs Weapons Deals With U.S., Europe

Iraq Buying Dozens Of Military Choppers From US, EU / Iraq Signs Weapons Deals With U.S., Europe

(NSI News Source Info) BAGHDAD - April 7, 2009: Iraq has signed deals with the United States and Europe to buy dozens of military helicopters that will be delivered over the next two years, the defence ministry spokesman said on Monday. The EC 635 is Eurocopter's powerful lightweight twin-engine army helicopter for air-to-air combat and ground support. It is also used as a utility helicopter and for training, search and rescue, and combat search and rescue. The helicopter is an armour-protected and armed version of the proven federal and civil EC 135 helicopter, of which more than 300 have been ordered. The first EC 635 of an order of nine was delivered to the Royal Jordanian Air Force in July 2003. An order for nine EC 635 helicopters for the Portuguese Army was cancelled in August 2002. In April 2006, Switzerland ordered 18 EC 635 helicopters for utility and advanced training missions. RUAG Aerospace is licence-building 16 of the helicopters. Europter delivered the first in March 2008, RUAG the third in August 2008. Deliveries are to complete in 2010. Iraq 24 EC 635 are planned for the Iraqi Air Force. Major General Mohammed al-Askari said the government had placed orders with US and European groups for what he described as ‘dozens’ of helicopters, but declined to give a precise number. A senior military source, however, told AFP that ‘Iraq has agreed with the United States and European countries to buy more than 40 helicopters.’ ‘We will receive all these helicopters in the next two years,’ the source said, noting that the US would supply 30 of the aircraft, mainly to be used in the fight against terrorism. Last month, French defence minister Herve Morin and his Iraqi counterpart Abdel Kader Obeidi announced the purchase by Baghdad of 24 multi-purpose Eurocopter EC 635 helicopters. The deal for the transport helicopters, which can carry up to seven soldiers and also engage in reconnaissance and search and rescue missions, is worth 360 million dollars. They form part of the order mentioned by the Iraqi security source. In addition, France is preparing to sell to Iraq six Gazelle helicopters to train Iraqi pilots, said a French source close to the deal.

France Sells 24 Military Helicopters To Iraq

France Sells 24 Military Helicopters To Iraq (NSI News Source Info) PARIS – March 27, 2008: France on Wednesday sealed a contract for the sale of 24 military helicopters to Iraq, its first arms deal with Baghdad since 1990. French Defence Minister Herve Morin signed the deal worth 360 million euros (488 million dollars) for the Eurocopter EC 635s during a meeting in Paris with his Iraqi counterpart Abdul Qader Obeidi. The Eurocopter EC 635 is a light multi-purpose helicopter developed by Eurocopter as a military version of the Eurocopter EC 135. It is a twin-engined aircraft and can carry up to 8 people, including the pilot, and a range of military equipment or armaments. The helicopter is marketed for troop transport, medical evacuation, cargo transport and armed combat support missions. France agreed to provide pilot training and provide maintenance as part of the contract. The deal came a month after President Nicolas Sarkozy paid an historic first visit to Baghdad during which he vowed France would help Iraq's economic revival, and singled out defence as one area of cooperation. A defence ministry official said the deal was the first contract signed between Paris and Baghdad since the 1990 Gulf War and the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Morin also announced that Paris was going to "re-open a military mission to Baghdad" at the French embassy in Baghdad "from this summer." "We want to return to the relations that France had (with Iraq) up until the 1980s," he said. "Then a large part of the Iraqi army was trained in France and equipped with French military equipment," he added. Obeidi said the purchase of the helicopters was one of the Iraqi government's priorities. He said he had had discussions about other projects with "big French companies," but did not elaborate. Such deals, he said, would reinforce the "independence" of his country and "facilitate the agreement with the United States on the withdrawal of American forces." Asked about France sending instructors to Iraq, Morin said France was "open to all forms of cooperation" but that it was for the "government of Iraq to express its wishes." Sarkozy's surprise visit to Iraq last month was the first ever to the country by a French head of state. France deeply opposed the American invasion almost six years ago which ousted Saddam Hussein, a policy decision that left it at odds with the administration of then US president George W. Bush. Sarkozy said France would work with Iraq wherever it could to help repair the country's battered infrastructure, in business as well as security matters. "We seek cooperation in the economic field, energy, rebuilding, and to help the police, security and Iraqi military forces, as well as restoring the international position of Iraq," he said.