Q. Your key challenge in 2000 is clearly the integration of Westland and Agusta. What is the current status of the merger programme?
A. We'll be making the formal announcement imminently. We have a date and all the major issues are now resolved. We're into fine detail. The new name for the company will be unveiled later and we plan a big push at Farnborough in July.
The integration will be a true 50:50 partnership and will put us in second place in terms of turnover. From a Westland perspective that's a pretty impressive performance and we have come a long way since the 1980s.
I think the breadth of programmes this will give us is critical. Agusta's relationship with Bell on the AB139 and the BA609 gives us an added dimension and we have to think globally in our relationships. We can't be 'Fortress Europe'.
Q. How important will the Asia-Pacific region be to you in the years ahead?
A. It is our number one priority. Our success in South Korea, where we will have 24 aircraft, and in Malaysia is the starting point. But there are other opportunities and we are seeing plenty of interest in the Super Lynx and the EH101. Asian Aerospace is the ideal platform for us. It puts all the key people in one place to talk. We're having a good week.
Q. You have been investigating compound helicopter technology. How do you see the rotary wing market developing in the next 20 years?
A. We will need to embrace new technologies, whether in the form of compound helicopters or tiltrotors. They will be vitally important although our mainstay products will still be the bedrock for us. We've done a lot of research into a compound version of the EH101. We're talking to the MoD about building a demonstrator using a Lynx airframe. The benefits are clear - faster travel and greater endurance.
Q. Turning to the EH101, there are numerous competitions in the pipeline. How do you assess your position?
A. We are very positive. We expect Canada to select a new maritime aircraft before the middle of the year, the Nordic region is moving ahead with its combined programme and I think our strongest selling point is that we're in service. We have proven aircraft which gives us an edge in my view.
We also completed a demonstration in Portugal last week when the aircraft flew non-stop for more than eight hours and covered 900nm, including a 30-minute hover. When you think about it, there aren't many helicopters capable of that performance.
Q. It's been a hectic 12 months. What were the highlights for Westland?
A. I would have to say that getting the Merlin programme on track was crucial. We succeeded in that, and we opened our new Apache facility of course. The first aircraft will roll out from there in March.
We also achieved a half a billion pound order book for the Lynx which is a fantastic advert for the upgrade work that we've done. We turned over almost one billion pound as a company and that's an excellent financial performance.
Source: Flight Daily News
