Eurocopter reinforces its commitment to strengthen the Republic of Korea’s aerospace industry, and highlights the Surion and its naval derivative

Seoul, 18 October 2011
At the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2011, Eurocopter will be showcasing a 1/10 scale model of the Surion at the EADS stand (Hall D, stand no. D12). Surion is a program that has reinforced Eurocopter's commitment to the Republic of Korea, with various entities set up to further its potential, and even a naval derivative to be developed to meet the Navy's needs.

Eurocopter has been supporting Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), who is the producer of the Surion, as a primary partner in the Korea Utility Helicopter (KUH) program. To ensure its full support, Eurocopter has set up a full-fledged subsidiary, KHDS, to provide technical assistance for the program since 2006.

In January 2011, Eurocopter and KAI then set up a joint venture, KAI-EC, for the marketing and sales of the Surion for the export market, projecting a sales volume of about 250-300 units worldwide in the next 10 years.

"South Korea has been our customer for over 30 years, and it has always been one of our key markets in Asia," stated Eurocopter President & CEO Lutz Bertling. "We have also enjoyed a very fruitful partnership with KAI over the years, as can be seen in the success of the Surion program whose development phase has been outstandingly on time. Together with KAI, we will help to fuel the growth of the country's aerospace industry by developing indigenous products that will have great export value."
Surion is Korea's first military transport helicopter to be produced by KAI, and the South Korean government officially appointed Eurocopter as its primary partner in December 2005.

Surion is an 8.7 metric ton helicopter which can carry 2 pilots and 16 troops (or 2 pilots plus 2 crew and 9 troops). 245 units of the Surion will be manufactured from 2011, to replace the Republic of Korea (RoK) Army's ageing fleet of utility and transport helicopters.
The 6-year KUH development phase ran from 2006 to 2011 and it has successfully completed the initial flight test on March 2010, with the first Surion scheduled to be delivered in the third quarter of 2012. Eurocopter's role is to provide technical assistance and to supply the gear boxes, rotor masts, transmission and autopilot subassemblies for the helicopter.

KNH is the Surion naval derivative proposed for the RoK Navy. It is being developed by KAI in partnership with Eurocopter and Elbit, using their extensive specialist experience, as the ideal aircraft for the RoK Navy and other modern naval or maritime forces. KNH offers the best, high capability, naval warfare performance available today against the most sophisticated submarine and surface threats in a package which is fully compatible with light frigates and other escorts.

KNH is versatile, flexible and can be re-configured very rapidly for new roles while embarked. Its state-of-the-art avionics are future-proofed to permit the aircraft to adapt to new roles, tasks or threats. The standard equipment fit and spacious cabin that easily carries full boarding teams, make it an ideal aircraft that meets the needs of Maritime Security worldwide.

In addition to the Surion, two other military helicopter models will also be showcased at the exhibition – AS565 Panther and Tiger. Together, the three models represent very important current and future programs that Eurocopter is looking to participate in, as South Korea steps up its development of the aerospace industry and defense capability.

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Boeing Forecasts $200 Billion Market for 1,250 New Airplanes in Northeast Asia

Korea’s commercial aviation set for growth - strong demand for twin-aisle airplanes

SEOUL, Oct. 18, 2011 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] projects 1,250 new airplanes will be delivered to Northeast Asian carriers valued at approximately US $200 billion over the next 20 years.

“The combined effect of liberalization and rapid economic growth is driving passenger traffic in the region,” said Randy Tinseth, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Vice President of Marketing. “In Korea, Incheon International Airport serves as a major hub in the region and the Korean peninsula is perfectly situated between Japan and China – allowing it to continue as a gateway to key markets in Asia.”

Tinseth shared the company’s market data and forecast for Northeast Asia’s commercial airplane market and gave reporters a tour of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

“Air travel in Northeast Asia is expected to grow moderately at 4.3 percent annually over the next 20 years,” Tinseth said. “Korea’s dynamic economy as well as the nation’s thirst for air travel will fuel growth for the region.”

Two-thirds of Northeast Asia’s projected 1,250 airplane deliveries will be for growth. With more than 110 aircraft already on order, the airlines of Korea are truly poised for grow. Taking into account airplanes set to retire, the fleet in Northeast Asia will increase from 690 airplanes today to 1,520 in 2030.

Northeast Asia is a big market for twin aisle and large aircraft. These aircraft account for about 45 percent of the region’s demand for aircraft in terms of units and almost 70 percent in terms of value.  Airplanes such as Boeing’s 787, 777 and 747-8 are ideally suited to meet this market demand. In fact, all of these aircraft are on order by the airlines of Korea. These aircraft offer unsurpassed efficiency, compelling economics, longer range and a superior passenger experience.

Boeing also forecasts single-aisle jetliners will account for 46 percent of new airplane deliveries to the region. The demand for single-aisle airplanes is driven by the growing number of low-cost carriers providing intra- and inter-regional service.

Tinseth said single-aisle airplanes like the Next-Generation Boeing 737 and 737 MAX will continue to draw strong demand from this important market segment.

More information on the Northeast Asia market forecast can be found at:http://www.boeing.com/commercial/cmo/northeast_asia.html

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A350 XWB’s Trent engine rolls-out for initial flight tests

Airbus has completed installation of the first Rolls-Royce Trent XWB flight-test engine on the A380 “flying-testbed” aircraft (MSN 001). The aircraft is depicted here at Airbus’ Jean-Luc Lagardère site in Toulouse where the engine was mounted. The aircraft and engine will now be prepared for the flight-test campaign commencing in the coming weeks.

The Trent XWB engine, which is the largest Rolls-Royce turbofan with a 118-inch diameter fan, has been specially designed to power all members of the new Airbus A350 XWB Family with maximum efficiency.

PR

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Eurofighter delivers to the Spanish Air Force the Typhoon nr. 300

The 300th Eurofighter Typhoon produced by the four partner companies of the European consortium, was delivered today by Cassidian to the Spanish Air Force, Ejercito del Aire. This milestone makes the Eurofighter Typhoon the only new generation multi-role aircraft to reach the impressive figure of 300 examples in service.

The Eurofighter Typhoons – developed and manufactured by Cassidian in Germany and Spain, BAE Systems in the UK and Alenia Aeronautica in Italy - are now in service across the globe with 16 units in six air forces replacing 11 aircraft types. This confirms Eurofighter as not only the best performing multi-role aircraft available on the world market but also the most effective and best value solution to meet the air defence requirements of air forces and nations worldwide.

To date, the fleet has completed over 130,000 flying hours with well above average operational availability and unmatched operational performance which was demonstrated recently during operations over Libya.

Eurofighter Typhoon is the aircraft of choice for the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Austrian Air Forces.

The event coincides with the Seoul Air Show 2011 where Eurofighter is exhibiting its capabilities to support the campaign for the FX-III acquisition project where the South Korean Defence Ministry is seeking to purchase some 60 next-generation fighters with the target of having them delivered for operational service in 2016.

Enzo Casolini, Eurofighter GmbH CEO, said: “Today’s milestone is another important example of how successful this joint European consortium is. The programme, the largest industrial collaboration in Europe, is a shining example of what can be achieved through cooperation, bringing together European capabilities; securing thousands of long-term jobs and generating a positive economic impact for the customer nations”.

PR

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