Andrzej Jeziorski/PARIS
Franco-German helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter has successfully completed the first flight of the EC 120 light helicopter. A 20min flight was performed on 9 June from Eurocopter's Marignane site in France, with test pilot Etienne Herrenschmidt and engineer Bernard Cortain at the controls.
The EC120 is a 1.5t, five-seat, single-engine helicopter developed by Eurocopter in partnership with Singapore Technologies Aerospace and China's CATIC and Harbin Manufacturing.
The Franco-German Company has a 61% share of the programme, with CATIC/Harbin responsible for 24%, including the design and production of the entire fuselage structure.
The Singaporean share, amounting to 15%, includes the design and supply of the tail boom, the composite structure of the Fenestron tail rotor, and the cabin doors.
The helicopter is powered by a Turbomeca Arrius 1F turbo-shaft, driving a Spheriflex bearingless main rotor, similar to that installed on Eurocopter's new EC135 twin helicopter. Both types are fitted with a Fenestron-shrouded tail rotor.
Eurocopter has announced upgrades to its AS.350 Ecureuil and BO.105 helicopters. The single-engine Ecureuil is to be offered in a more powerful B3 version, powered by the latest 640kW (860hp) Turbomeca Arriel 2. The B3 also has the increased-chord tail rotor of the twin-engine AS.355N Ecureuil II.
The company is also introducing, a new variant of its BO.105 LS A-3, to be called the Super Lifter, before the end of this year.
The new LS variant will be fitted with upgraded main and tail rotors, providing an extra 150kg of rotor lift in hover-out-of-ground effect and increasing the maximum mission weight to 2,850kg.
Source: Flight International
