Helibras Poised to Begin Civil Helicopter Production
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The move allows the firm, which is jointly owned by Eurocopter and the state of Minas Gerais, to add another product line to its Itajubá factory, with the eventual goal of designing and building new helicopters for the Latin American market.
"It's our plan to build [new] helicopters in Brazil," says François Arnaud, vice-president of sales and marketing for Helibras.
Late last year, the company began delivering the first of 50 EC725s as part of a tri-service order for Brazil's armed forces. Assembly of the EC225s, the civil variant of the EC725, can begin after military production winds down and clears space, Arnaud says.
Helibras also sees opportunities to sell other helicopter types to the Brazilian military. The navy has requirements for more helicopter trainers and light utility aircraft, for which Helibras is offering the AS350 B3e Ecureuil and EC645, respectively, Arnaud says.
Although the Brazilian government offers tax incentives to defence contractors with 60% local ownership, Arnaud says that Helibras has no plans to change its ownership structure.
The voting shares are split between Eurocopter (70%), the Minas Gerais government (25%) and Brazilian investment group Bueninvest (5%).
Assembly work is focussed on EC725s for Brazil's armed forces
[via]
